The Last Mission
by AgentUrsa
Summary: Takes place after the "The Stench of Purexo". After the Tacgnol related incident, Ian, Jo and Erik have settled down in Rock Falls and formed the band again. However, can they continue their lives or is there still one last mission awaiting them?
1. Chapter 1

Hi!

The original Agents of Metal novels can be found here: (replace the dots and slash with actual dots and slash :))  
cadaver dot github dot io slash nano dot html

background music suggestion for Chapter 1: Evanescence: Hello

Freedom, metal and might! :)

-Agent Ursa

...

 **Chapter 1 - Living in the Aftermath**

 _Angst kreiert das Leyd,_  
 _der Einsamkeit,_  
 _die den Zerfall begehrt._  
 _Leyd sei mein Begehr,_  
 _und tief im Herbst_  
 _sey mir der Tod beschehrt._

 _Fear creates the agony,_ _  
 _the loneliness,_  
 _that covets the decay._  
 _Agony is my desire,_  
 _and deep in the fall_  
 _death was given to me.__

 _-Nargaroth: Herbstleyd_

 _..._

The black ninja star hit right in the middle of a log. A low throbbing beat could be heard in the forest.  
"You're becoming very good at this," Ian remarked.  
"I've had time to practice," Jo said walking to the log and removing the shuriken.  
"And Mitsuko is a good teacher."  
"Did she already go to sleep?" Ian asked looking at the old pink Volkswagen van.  
"I think so. She has earplugs."  
Jo threw a few more rounds and then the rumbling sound suddenly stopped. Ian and Jo exchanged looks.  
"You want to go this time?" Jo asked frowning.  
Ian nodded.  
"Don't stay too late," Jo said giving him a kiss.

The night had almost fallen. Ian could hear an eerie voice of an owl somewhere in the dark forest. For a moment he also had an irrational thought of a large spider appearing but he quickly snapped out of it. It wasn't a long walk from their trailer to Erik's cabin and soon he saw the lights. He walked past the Identified Alien Craft, IAC, that was camouflaged among spruces. Yes, they were worried about Erik. It had been six months since they had returned to the States and faced the unimaginable enemy and had magically survived. And after the incident, they had started the band, Agents of Metal. Kim joined their line-up and moved in with Erik. But two months ago things had fallen apart and Kim had suddenly left. Erik hadn't told much about the break-up. He just sulked in his cabin, burning sugar cubes over way too many glasses of absinthe. Also, he shred drumsticks in the old shed they had transformed into a practice space. There was already a thick layer of sawdust around the drum set. But he wouldn't talk. Ian had often tried during the evenings they drank absinthe together but he made it clear he wouldn't say anything on the subject.

Agents of Metal still practiced, being just the three of them again. Ian had taken up bass and had quickly become very good at it but they had trouble choosing who would be the vocalist. Ian thought Jo sounded good but she preferred concentrating fully on the guitar. They had thought about searching a new vocalist but that hadn't happened yet. They hadn't played any gigs and Ian really missed that. Finally, he came to the door and knocked. He could hear through the door that Erik was listening to something loud, probably their own material. After hearing the familiar growl welcoming him in, Ian entered and found the over-man on the sofa, barely awake. The music was coming from the laptop on the table. Ian was startled when he realized what he was listening to. It wasn't Agents of Metal. Or actually, it was. It was a something they had recorded in their second HQ, one evening during Christmas, after drinking too much, so the playing wasn't very smooth. But the voice of the vocalist was unmistakable. It was definitely the grunt of his fallen comrade and BOFH Blowfish. Suddenly, Erik seemed much more alert and rose from the sofa to kill the music. Ian sat down in the armchair not quite knowing what to say. He poured himself a drink and suddenly he knew what to say.  
"Just put it back on."  
Erik looked at him and without saying a word he put the music back on. Finally, the song ended and there was long silence but it wasn't awkward. It was just a long silence. Ian broke it.  
"To Blowfish," he said and raised his glass.  
Erik raised his too.  
"To Gwen," he said with a very low voice.  
They drank and seemed to sink into their thoughts. Erik suddenly shook his head.  
"You know…" he began.  
"We once drank to _your_ memory."  
"I know," Ian nodded.  
"Let's listen to some Nargaroth," Erik suddenly suggested.  
Ian was definitely not going to refuse. An hour later, Ian was laying on the other sofa, they were both quite drowsy. The song they had just listened was "Herbstleyd."  
"She sure was something," Ian could hear Erik mutter.  
He wondered what time Erik had begun his drinking that day because he was suddenly being this open. It was probably the first thing he had said about Kim after the break-up.  
"You know, it's okay to still miss her. It's been only two months."  
For a long moment Erik just looked at Ian and didn't say anything and Ian just knew he was not going to continue.

...

Ian opened the door of the trailer. The lights were out but he could make his way through to the back where their bed was. Jo was snoring. He actually found the sound endearing. It was his sweet snoring angel after all. Finally Ian climbed to the bed next to her and could sense she was now awake.  
"How did it go?" she asked, eyes still closed.  
"Ok, I guess. We listened to some Nargaroth."  
"Nargaroth?" Jo echoed the band's name with a slight surprise in her sleepy voice. Then she mumbled something about the last time he had seen Erik listening to Nargaroth, when he was mourning Ian with Blowfish.  
"Good night," Jo said kissing him. She put her arm around him and quickly drifted back to sleep. There was something nagging in the back of Ian's blurry mind.

 _Could he have meant…?_ _  
 _Blowfish?__

His thoughts were interrupted when Jo tightened her hold on him. Quite a lot actually. It made Ian consider perhaps Jo accidentally mistook him for a pillow. For some reason the thought seemed familiar. But he didn't think about it long though, for soon he too fell into a deep sleep.

...

After Ian had left Erik walked to his porch and sat on the stairs. Of course Ian hadn't realized his words weren't about Kim. Yes, she too was something, one hell of a woman, Erik thought. But he just knew she did not miss him, at all, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't miss her either, in that way. In the end it had been her misanthropy that had come between them. Erik looked at the cosmic blanket above him and sighed. The stars were extremely visible due to the lack of light pollution. A few weeks ago it had been Spring Equinox again and a year had passed...Those long nights after the Nibiru mission Erik had sat there a lot, on those stairs, and thought of Gwen burning inside the planet's core. He wasn't sure whether was it a curse or a blessing that he hadn't been there. Could he have made a difference? Would he have only witnessed her death? Later, the next summer as they watched the Ka burn, he couldn't help still thinking about her. Of course he was relieved that Jo had returned to her old self and happy that she and Ian had reconnected but it still hurt. Badly. It was true he had known Gwen for barely three months and most of that time they had been busy saving the world. But they had formed a bond and he had wished it could have been more.

 _After victory or death._

That's what he had said to her. He remembered how he had gently touched her ear, the part he had once shot through. And as the memory passed through his mind, a part of him still somehow refused to believe it. That it would actually be...death _._

 _..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Background music suggestion: Led Zeppelin: Tangerine_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - The Call**

 _I would stand in line for this  
_ _There's always room in life for this  
_ _\- Moby: Extreme Ways_

...

 _Still alive._

The thought passed through Ian's mind every single morning. Even when he was hungover like that morning. Or perhaps especially on a morning like that. For a brief moment he concentrated on his heartbeat and enjoyed how organic it felt. They had talked of the experience, as they called it, that had led to him having his heart back. For both of them, their last memory had definitely been in the Yaris - for Jo it was the moment before the impact and for Ian the moment he had pulled the trigger. He sometimes had nightmares of that moment. No wonder, he thought. Their shared conclusion had been that they could not explain what had happened, so they just took what they got and ran with it.

They settled in Rock Falls. First they thought about renting a flat in the town but soon they got the idea of buying the trailer. The dealer had seemed extremely pleased to get rid of it.  
"Cool, we're going to be trailer trash," Jo had said excitedly.  
"That thrash," Ian had continued equally excited.

They made sure the trailer had a proper heating system but the rest they were sure they could fix. The past winter in the trailer had been memorable. Somehow the experience had heightened all their senses. The air felt fresher. The bass sounded louder. The skin felt warmer. They thought it was the best winter of their lives. The trailer was set in a really nice spot, in a small forest opening close to a cliff. Erik took them hunting and they barbecued the small game they caught. Now that it had been turning into spring, it had been even nicer. They had actually been talking of building a cabin much like Erik's, sometime later. Also, they had written songs of their experiences, in the true Agents of Metal style.

Agents of Metal had released some of the songs online which had lead to surprising consequences, one of them being Mitsuko. Soon after the new year had begun her pink seventies Volkswagen had driven out of nowhere to their refuge in the woods. Mitsuko was twenty-something, into J-metal and a hacker. Her parents had been Japanese scientists that SCEPTRE had tried to recruit, and not succeeding in this, they had been killed. Mitsuko had been a teenager and had been then raised by her grandmother in Canada. Now she was a vagabond. She asked if she could stay with them for a while and since she had her own lodging, the van, they allowed this. Of course they discussed whether Mitsuko could be a SCEPTRE spy but after hanging out with her they decided to trust their gut. Her story also seemed to match with what they could see from the SCEPTRE records they had. Also, what happened with Sarge had shown anyone could be compromised - there was a fine line between caution and paranoia.

The other direct consequence of releasing their music was that they suddenly started getting messages from a handful of Agents around the world, These were ones that not even the veteran Agents had known of. They definitely could have used their help in the previous missions.  
Their intel suggested that SCEPTRE had been crippled but not entirely wiped out.

Ian could hear the discussion from the other end of the trailer. It was definitely Jo and Mitsuko. They often drank coffee before he woke up. But there was something off about their discussion. It was usually somehow cheery but now the tone was serious. Soon he could hear footsteps and Jo appeared.

"Ian, we need to go look at something."

Jo's tone had made something sink inside of him. Soon they walked across the small clearing to Mitsuko's van. The inside of the van was extremely minimalistic, mostly grey and black. She had three sleek black laptops. The thin futon she slept on that was rolled up in one corner.  
"I intercepted some strange messages in the networks SCEPTRE had been using. They had been quiet for months but not long ago...something activated."  
"They are involved in MoGaCon2014."  
"What?" Jo and Ian asked almost simultaneously.  
"MoGaCon2014, it's a Mobile Games Conference."  
"A Mobile Games Conference?" Ian repeated in disbelief.  
"I think they're planning to mess with people's minds again. I've discussed with a Brazilian agent who had noticed some odd patterns, similar to fnords, in a mobile game that's developed by one of the main organizers of the conference, a company called NV. The game is called Match11."  
"Match11? Why am I not surprised?" Jo asked.  
"Why can't they just give up?" Ian said furrowing his brow.  
"But the odd part...It seems to be SCEPTRE is not working alone. But none of the Agents I've contacted are not exactly sure what the other organization is."  
"The conference is our only lead. It's in early June, about a month from now," Mitsuko stated.  
"I guess we should go then," Jo said.

Later they were discussing at Erik's cabin.  
"Mitsuko, it's time to decide. Do you want be an Agent, for real?" Erik asked.  
She nodded.  
"You still have time to back away," Ian said.  
"I am sure. I have been for some time now."  
"So Oslo it is. I'm officially returning to the land of my ancestors," Erik said.  
"Really? I didn't know that," Jo asked surprised.  
"Yes, my roots are there and we better have time for a black metal gig."

...

Jo and Mitsuko had already left back but Ian intentionally stayed behind.  
"Do you remember last night...How we listened to Herbstleyd?"  
"Yes," Erik answered plainly. He was sitting by his kitchen table cleaning a gun. Ian assumed that to him this resembled meditation.  
"I didn't know you and Blowfish were that close," Ian said.  
"We weren't," Erik said not raising his eyes from the gun he was cleaning.  
"But you were talking about her, right?"  
"Is that important? She's gone," Erik's voice was just stating, not annoyed.  
Ian thought for a moment and walked next to Erik. He put his hand on the over-man's shoulder, keeping it there just for a moment.  
"I'm not sure. Maybe it is. Jo and I care for you."  
Erik finally looked at him and just nodded once, then giving his attention to the gun again.

...

Later that night Ian was laying in the shabby old lawn chair next to the trailer. He couldn't sleep as too many things were racing in his mind.  
Fuck. That had been his initial reaction when he had heard of SCEPTRE being reactivated. Now later her had moved on pondering would the life he had somehow expected ever begin and would he and Jo ever fly to that rainbow in the sky?  
"Can't sleep? I have a feeling I know what you're thinking," Jo walked next to him. Ian made her space to they could fit in the chair and she curled up against him. Amazingly the shabby chair always seemed to hold their combined weight. They just lay there for a while, listening to the forest.  
"Will something always come up? A new mission? A new threat? And why do we have to deal with them?" Ian said with frustration in his voice.  
Jo looked at him looking quite serious.  
"Because we are Agents of Metal. But why we are that I don't know. I don't know a lot of things. But I too hope this is the last mission."  
She interlaced her fingers with his.  
"I guess we can never be sure. Which makes me appreciate each moment even more."  
Ian thought Jo seemed always so grounded, somehow unwavered by the things happening around her.  
"You're right," Ian said giving her a kiss on her forehead.  
"What would I do without you?"  
"Drink too much and play Cave Story?"

...


	3. Chapter 3

Background music suggestion: Led Zeppelin: Bathroom Sound / Sweet: Fox on the Run /

Sorry for the typos etc. :/

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Ready, set...**

 _Hammer of the gods_  
 _will drive our ships to new land._  
 _To fight the hordes_  
 _And sing, and cry_  
 _Valhalla, I am coming._

 _-Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song_

...

"What the...? The pizza is like...thirty bucks!" Erik was staring at the bill.  
"And wait...You don't want to know how much the beer was."  
"At least we don't have to leave a tip apparently," Ian said.  
"Still...How dare they rob a fellow Viking?" Erik grunted.  
It was their first night in Oslo. They had taken the chopper they had recovered from Mad Dog's HQ and left it well outside the city at a secure private airfield. They found the IAC too difficult to use as it was so unusual and might draw attention. And they most certainly didn't want to risk losing it. It was still a week and two days till MoGaCon. It had been extremely easy to get signed up to the event. It was free and they clearly wanted as many developers as possible to attend.

Back at home they had spent the past weeks working on their cover and trying to find out more about SCEPTRE's plans. Mitsuko intercepted some messages about the arrangements but they concerned mostly the catering, which company to use and not to use. All they basically found out was that they were going to have sandwiches and blueberry pie during the main break. Also, Mitsuko and Brazilian agent, Orfeus, tried to analyze Match11 further. The patterns were indeed similar to fnords. Their theory now was that SCEPTRE would try to brainwash the mobile game scene to spread the fnords further. They obviously had some big megalomaniac plan again.

Their cover company would be an indie start-up Green Elk Entertainment, GEE. They had a long discussion about the animal. Erik had of course suggested a goat. Jo was Mo the artist, Ian was Andrew the coder, as he was already into coding, and Erik was Neil the main game designer. Mitsuko wouldn't be joining them inside the venue but would be outside in a van. GEE was making their debut game about a robot Elk.

...

"Too bad Crucifier and Ravenna won't do," Ian said going through shirts in the clothes rack. In three weeks he had grown a beard and a moustache that had been now trimmed. It was six days to go and they were now in a chain store in Oslo searching clothes for Mo and Andrew. Soon Ian emerged from the dressing room wearing very skinny jeans and a buttoned long-sleeved denim shirt. Jo soon followed wearing similar jeans and a t-shirt with a unicorn print.  
"These are surprisingly comfortable," Ian said looking at the jeans.  
"I checked, they have 1% spandex," Jo commented.  
"Spandex? So...this could escalate to hair metal?" Ian asked now with a smile on his face.  
"It could," Jo returned his smile.  
...

They had rented a flat in downtown Oslo. It was relatively expensive but luckily they still had benefactors. Later back at the flat they were doing more alterations to their looks.  
"I was a child the last time I didn't have a beard," Erik said.  
He had agreed to shaving his beard after figuring out a way to leave his hair intact. He would wear a Costeau beanie hat and a keffiyeh style scarf around his neck. Without the beard he now looked confusingly younger. Ian and Jo actually thought that for the first time ever they could see his facial expressions. That evening Jo also dyed her hair purple and Ian his hair and beard to a reddish-brown color.

They all would wear glasses with slightly different kind of thick frames which had cameras that would be transmitting to Mitsuko. The conference was held in a former industrial building turned into a trendy premise. There weren't metal detectors at the venue but just to be sure they smuggled some guns to beforehand, disguised as cleaning personnel, and hid them in selected air conduits. But the plan was to avoid using them at all as the place would be crowded with civilians.

...

"Are you sure you don't want to come? I mean, it's Tyranex," Ian still tried to convince Erik.  
"No thanks, I'm just gonna take a walk and go to sleep early."  
Jo and Ian left Erik. Mitsuko was already sleeping.  
Perhaps it was strange to do such in such a situation, two days from their mission, to attend a gig. But if Ian and Jo had learned one thing from _the experience_ , it was that each day should be lived. Fully.

"Now that was proper thrash," Jo said.  
They were in the back of the club listening to the band following Tyranex. They were both quite flushed, feeling exhilarated having been in the mosh pit.  
"What if I told you Tyranex is now sitting in a table not far from us," Ian leaned to say to Jo, nodding to a direction behind her.  
"No way," Jo's eyes clearly lit up even more. She quickly turned to look where the band was sitting.  
"I have to go talk her. I mean...I just have to."  
Jo had sounded excited but then she suddenly frowned for a second, obviously now hesitating.  
"Just go," Ian said and gently pushed her the right way. He didn't wish to interfere in the moment. It was so clearly Jo's. So he just remained in the table and could see that Jo caught the attention of the band's frontwoman Linnea. The two began talking. And they talked for quite a while. At one point Jo pointed at Ian who then nodded at them. Ian had time to fully enjoy Shark Attack, the following band, which was actually American thrash. He really liked one of their songs, apparently it was called "I'm choking".  
Finally Jo returned.  
"It looked like you really bonded. What did you talk about?" Ian asked curious.  
"The usual," Jo said looking so happy.  
"How to avoid your hand cramping while playing...What's the optimal angle for holding a pick."  
"Sounds good."  
"Anyway, thanks for making me do that."  
"Anytime."

...

Erik was now walking back towards the flat. The walk hadn't helped much. Back at home it hadn't bothered him at all but now that they had shared a flat he couldn't help envying what Ian and Jo had. He felt lonely and what made things worse was that he couldn't channel it into thrash drumming. Also, excessive absinthe consumption would have been unwise at this point. The preparation for the mission had brought up even more memories of their previous one. And of Gwen. And there was also _the experience._ Yes, of course he had talked about it with Ian and Jo. Erik's last memory had been watching Kim's band and then being suddenly consumed by something very nasty. The following memory was then waking up at the same club, or what remained of it, surrounded by corpses. He could see that for Ian and Jo the whole thing had led to some deeper understanding of life and each other but for him it seemed to have triggered a mid-life crisis. Fuck, he thought, as he walked the stairs back up to the apartment. This wasn't very over-man.

...

"Mitsuko...If I didn't know I might think you're nervous," Jo said.  
"Maybe I am. It's interesting to actually meet him. We've only talked via secure connection that doesn't use video."  
Jo and Mitsuko were picking the last arriving agent from the airport. It would be Orfeus, from Brazil.  
"Hi," said the tall, somewhat lanky guy approaching them.  
"Shuriken and Phantasm, right? I'm Orfeus,"  
"Yeah, good to meet you finally," Jo said shaking his hand. She awaited Mitsuko to do the same but she basically just stared at the guy. Finally, she seemed to snap out of something and shook his hand just nodding.

In addition to Orfeus, two other Agents had volunteered joining them in the mission. The other was a Swedish Agent Gudrun who actually looked a bit like Kim. The other was physically her opposite, a dark and very Hessian looking Agent Vanya from Belarus. All the new Agents were hackers more accustomed to weapons used in cyber warfare. They had gotten to know the three quite well through secure chats, and in real life they all turned out to be quiet, thoughtful types. They were also quite young, in their early twenties. It was decided Orfeus would join Mitsuko in the van and Vanya and Gudrun would come inside to the conference with the others.

...

It was the morning of MoGaCon.

"Ian, it's time," Jo was sitting on the edge of the bed. She gestured Ian to sit down on the floor in front of her. They had talked about this but still it actually made him break into a cold sweat. In about ten minutes it was over and a surreal sight met his eyes in the mirror. His long hair had been tied into a man bun. It matched his beard perfectly.

They were on the street walking to the car when Erik suddenly stopped. Almost immediately Ian and Jo stopped as well.  
"Everything okay?" Mitsuko asked, looking back at them. Gudrun, Vanya and Orfeus had already walked to the van. The three senior agents had stopped in front of a shop window and were just staring at their reflections. Erik looked kind of solemn, Jo had raised her eyebrows slightly and Ian obviously just stared at his hair.  
"It's for freedom, metal and might, right?" Ian finally said.  
"Right," Erik and Jo answered almost simultaneously.

They walked to their car, a white rented Kia Picanto, in silence.

...


	4. Chapter 4

_Background music suggestion: Okko: Out in the Dark_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: ...Go!**

 _..._

The van was a rented white Toyota Hiace.  
"I wonder how many hackers you could fit in this. Because there are now four of us...and I'd say we could easily fit a dozen more," Orfeus said.  
Mitsuko grinned. She liked him. He was definitely the comic relief. They were sitting in the front seats. Gudrun and Vanya were riding in the back.  
"Are you nervous?" Orfeus asked, more serious now.  
"I am," she said.  
"No need to be. I mean...You don't have to be," he said.  
"Just don't be."  
"Okay. I won't. If you say so."

"So I guess this is it then. Day one of MoGaCon," Vanya said looking the passing streets of Oslo through darkened windows.  
"Yes," Gudrun, Malin that is, said. They had all shared their real names after the arrival. Orfeus was Ernesto. Vanya had naturally shared his name too. He found Gudrun/Malin somehow very professional and also a little cynical.  
"Are you nervous?" he asked.  
"I'm trying to avoid the feeling. I just don't think it would be beneficial," Gudrun said.  
He just nodded in reply. She definitely had sounded professional and he most certainly didn't feel like that. It was actually only his second time he had traveled outside Belarus. It had been quite a long journey from Minsk to that van that morning. And mentally even longer. A lot of it had to do with him watching an eighties movie "War Games" as a child. In hindsight that day had changed the course of his life. His father had been a state official and he had bought him a computer after he had begged for it for almost a year. And what then had followed had been his mother's death, his father's alcoholism and he himself escaping deeper and deeper into the world of conspiracies. And now he was an Agent of Metal, a rookie agent at least.

They parked at a street close by the venue and Vanya and Gudrun jumped out of the car. There had not been a reason to alter their looks that much as they were unknown to SCEPTRE. Vanya wore blue jeans instead of the black ones he usually used, a worn t-shirt and a grey hoodie. His shoulder-length hair was tied to a short ponytail which was also unlike his usual style. Gudrun had a tunic with a floral pattern and leggings. Vanya had a backpack and Gudrun a shoulder bag where they had their laptops. It wouldn't be an unusual sight to sit with one at the conference.

...

Jo was driving the Kia Picanto.  
"They're still kids, you know," Erik said from the backseat.  
"You mean Mitsuko and the others? Ian asked.  
"You're right. But remember that not long ago we were junior Agents," Jo pointed out.  
"Let's just try to keep this mission strictly recon. And today let's try to keep it even more that. Maybe tomorrow we can dig deeper," Erik said.  
MoGaCon would last two days. The first day would end in a party and the following day the conference would continue at noon.

They parked the car not far from the venue. They checked the gear once more. The glasses were also recording and sending audio. In order to communicate they used hands-free devices that used their own radio system. They assumed all the phone and internet traffic would monitored by SCEPTRE.

Inside there was already a long line to the registration counter. Many of the people standing in the sidelines were obviously security staff.  
Finally, inside the hall they joined another line that was for the refreshments. There was a barista behind the counter.  
"A soy latte, please," Jo requested.  
"I'll have the same, " Ian said.  
"One for me too," Erik followed.  
They took their drinks in the paper mugs and chose a place close to the front. They noticed Gudrun was sitting right in the back and Vanya close to one of the exits. None of the three actually drank their lattes. Suddenly the lights went completely out and the side walls begin to lit up with white pixel rain.

"WELCOME…" a low echoing low voice filled the hall. A catwalk from the back of the hall lead to the speaker's podium in the middle. They could see someone walking on it in the darkness.  
"...TO…  
The room was slowly filled with smoke followed by red laser beams. A booming beat also appeared to the background.  
"...MOGACON 2014!"  
Suddenly there was a spotlight lighting the person that had walked to the stage. It was the CEO of the hosting company NV, Tyr Nielsen. He was a fortyish sleek man in skinny jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was cut short but he had a similar beard than Ian.  
"Welcome. It is an honor to have you here," he said with a slight accent.  
There was a map of the world projected to the large screen behind him. The screen was actually made of mist. There were dots appearing all over the map.  
"Today is all about you. Thank you for joining us from all around the world."  
The CEO was exactly as was expected. Energetic, youthful, yet casual.

"Let me ask the lead designer of Match11, Loke Magnusson, to the stage," Nielsen said after some initial greetings.  
Another sleek man in skinny jeans and a t-shirt walked down the catwalk, in long deliberate steps. His clothes were black. Also his trimmed beard was black, as was his hair. He was clearly older, possibly closer fifty.  
"Loke, they're all yours," Tyr Nielsen grinned and walked away, leaving his colleague alone on the stage.  
Mr. Magnusson just stood there calmly looking at the audience. It looked almost as if he was counting the people in the room as his eyes carefully roamed the rows. Jo felt that it stopped uncomfortable long when he looked at their direction.  
"Let me tell you about Match11," Mr. Magnusson finally said. His voice was very controlled. After the first sentence there was a long silence and he kept staring at the audience, unfazed. He was obviously in no hurry. Then he slowly put the palms of his hands together, his index fingers touching his lips, like he was meditating. Then he raised his head slightly and lowered his hands so that the fingers were now touching his chin.  
"What's the goal?"  
Another long silence. More staring.  
"Release some dopamine in the brain. Make people feel a bit better."  
Some more silence. Even more staring.  
"But that's _not_ the goal."  
He took one step forward.  
"The perfect game is the goal."

After the initial creepiness, his talk turned out quite normal. He told the story of how he had been asked to do a sequel to the very successful game Match9 and how his great vision had been to skip the number ten entirely and continue with number eleven.

The talks that followed were exactly what one would expect at a Mobile Games Conference.  
"Have you guys noticed anything we haven't?" Ian asked from Mitsuko and Orfeus as the day's program was drawing to an end.  
"Haven't noticed anything exceptional from our point of view," Mitsuko said.  
"Me neither," Orfeus said.  
"Okay. So everything seems…normal. Too normal," Ian sighed.  
After the official program the party commenced.  
"Let's just keep our eyes and ears open. Perhaps we'll still find out something," Jo said.

...


	5. Chapter 5

_Background music suggestion: Dune's version of 'Who Wants to Live Forever'_

 _spoiler alert: will spoil "the Tale of Cosmo" from Phantastes_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Star-Crossed**

 _There's no chance for us  
_ _It's all decided for us  
_ _This world has only one sweet moment  
_ _Set aside for us_

 _-Queen: Who Wants to Live Forever_

 _..._

Vanya felt like he needed some fresh air. The space was dark and filled with loud jazz. Places like this made him feel very stressed. He was sipping beer in his thoughts, standing in a dark corner, quite hidden. Suddenly he noticed there was a door on the third level of the space, where there were balconies with steel railings circulating the large hall. These were obviously some reminiscence of the industrial history of the building. For some reason Vanya had a feeling the topmost door could be a roof access. And now he most definitely felt he needed to get out. The other Agents could cover him for a while. And besides, nothing seemed to be happening. Well, somehow he felt he wouldn't have noticed anything even if it was happening right in front of him.

Vanya reached for the metal stairs and walked to the furthermost corner where there was another set of stairs that might have been for staff but he risked using them. Finally he was on the same level with the door he had seen. It wasn't locked. And he had been right. The fresh air greeted him at the roof. The sun was setting. It was one of those rooftops that had gravel on it. He sat down a bit further from the door, leaning to the wall.  
"I'm taking a break on the roof. Be right back," he said to his mic.  
"Roger that, Vanya," Mitsuko replied to his ear-piece.  
He took a deep breath and took the glasses off shutting off the mic and video feed.

 _What am I doing here?  
Am I even a real Agent?  
Am I useless?_

He had been thinking these questions almost constantly since the day he had arrived to Oslo and met the senior Agents. Volunteering to the mission had been a sudden impulse. They had been very nice but it was fairly obvious they considered him inexperienced. But he could provide them with extra ears and eyes at the venue. But now he was exhausted. He had been very stressed the whole day and the party didn't help at all.  
His thoughts were interrupted when the door suddenly opened and closed. Someone had entered the roof. The sun was shining low from behind the person so it was difficult to see who it was.  
"Faaaaaen!" the person shouted. It was obviously a female voice. And he assumed she was swearing.  
"Faen!" she shouted again. Vanya noticed she suddenly bent forward and obviously began to cry.  
This was awkward. The door behind her was the only exit. Vanya most certainly couldn't get past her without being noticed. He froze thinking his options. But then he realized there was something wrong with the way the person was breathing. He instantly knew what it was. She was hyperventilating. In a second he was up and approached the person. He could hear the gasping and all he could see was basically a tangle of messy dark hair. She was obviously a girl, or a woman, who was wearing jeans and a black hoodie.  
"I'm sorry. I know you didn't notice me. I was here on the roof before you."  
He tried to speak in the most calming voice he could. The person instantly lifted her face to look at him. Somewhere under the messy hair there was a pair of dark eyes that looked utterly terrified.  
"Has this happened to you before?" he asked.  
She shook her head.  
"Okay, you're hyperventilating,"  
"I...know," he could hear her voice between the gasps.  
"You just need to calm down. Could you sit down?"  
She nodded and they walked next to the wall. She sat down still gasping.  
"Would you like me to sit with you?"  
She nodded again and so he sat down not far from her. She was still hyperventilating.  
"I know you can calm down," Vanya said most reassuringly.  
She was staring at her hands, obviously concentrating in them. Slowly her breathing was becoming more normal.  
"You're doing really well," Vanya continued in a calm voice.  
Some minutes passed by as they sat in silence. Finally her breathing was nearly normal. She put her hands on her face and then pulled her fingers through her hair so that her face came fully visible. She had high cheekbones and her features had something a bit otherworldly in them. Vanya thought it was probably the eyes. A strange idea of a dark fairy passed through his mind. He thought she couldn't have been much older than twenty.  
"I don't think...There's a way I can save my face this situation," she said in a slight accent that made him assume she was from some Nordic country.  
"What do you mean?"  
"After...I mean. That was just...," she said still holding her hands in her hair.  
"Would it comfort you if I said I have experienced what you just did a few times in my life?" he asked.  
The dark eyes looked at him surprised. She nodded. There was a silence.  
"Could I have some?" she said pointing at the beer bottle he had left close to where he had sat before.  
"Sure," he said reaching for the bottle and handing it to her.  
Her hand was slightly shaking as she took a gulp.  
"Thanks."  
"And thank you for...your help."  
"No problem. You must have had a bad day."  
She nodded.  
"I have," she took a deep breath and placed the bottle on the gravel. She kept staring at it.  
"You know that button you wish that would exist. That button that would erase your entire existence. I wished to press that button today," she said quietly.  
It had sounded weird. And somehow worrying.  
"I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like to talk more about it?"  
"Thanks...but I'd actually like to forget it," she knit her brow, closing her eyes.  
"I can try to help with that. If you want, of course."  
Her eyes opened and for the second time they looked at him surprised.  
"That's nice…You're a nice stranger," she said no longer frowning.  
"And you're obviously not from here. Where are you from?" she asked.  
"Belarus."  
"You're the first Belarusian I have ever met...I'm from here. Well, I live up in the north, by the mountains."  
"Then you're the first Norwegian I've ever really met, and I love mountains," Vanya said.  
He wasn't sure why he had made that comment about the mountains. It seemed stupid afterwards.  
"Me too," she said looking at him. Perhaps he imagined it but there was almost a hint of smile on her lips.  
"Why are you hiding here?" she asked. He could see from her eyes she was curious.  
"I just needed to get away...from all that," he said gesturing towards the door.  
She nodded.  
"I understand...I'm only here because my family forced me to," she said.  
"Your family forced you here?"  
"Yes. They're really into all this...but it's not my thing." she said shaking her head.  
"What's your thing?" Vanya found himself asking before even thinking about it.  
"What's my thing?" she echoed his question looking at him even more curiously.  
"Medicine, I guess."  
"Medicine? Are you studying it?"  
"No. I'm a researcher...But what are you into?"  
"Hacking."  
It was probably worst thing to confess, he thought.  
"So are you a hacker by night and you make mobile games by day?" she said and now a smile rose on her lips.  
She had a lovely smile. Vanya suddenly realized he could've looked at her smiling all night long.  
"Yes, that's it exactly," he said now smiling too.  
"What do you hack?"  
"I'm trying to fight the evil in this world."  
"So you're like...Batman."  
"Yes, I'm exactly like him."  
Her smile grew wider.  
"Thanks for sharing this information. Can I now share my secret?"  
"Of course you can."  
"I basically research…" she took a breath before continuing.  
"Immortality."  
"Immortality?"  
"Yes. Do you know of those cancer cells that practically live forever?"  
"I think I do...They're Hela or something."  
He could see she was positively surprised by his knowledge.  
"Yes...HeLa are definitely most known ones. So I research these kinds of cells."  
Suddenly Vanya couldn't help feeling his heart sinking as he realized she was very likely linked to SCEPTRE.  
"You must think I'm strange," she said noticing his reaction. Suddenly she seemed to be withdrawing into a shell and he most certainly didn't want this.  
"I think your research sounds extremely interesting and you are by no means stranger than I am," he said looking her in the eyes most intensely.  
She looked him right back.  
"I'd like to know your name," she said.  
Vanya knew he should have said his fake name but something inside him convinced him he didn't wish to do that.  
"I'm Cosmo."  
He had said his _real_ real name,  
"Cosmo? That is different."  
"I know."  
"I like it...It reminds me of a story I once read. A story in a story. It was a fantasy story."  
"You know Phantastes?" Vanya looked at her very surprised.  
Of all his namesakes no one had ever before mentioned Cosmo von Wehrstahl from George MacDonald's 19th century book.  
"Yes. You look surprised."  
"It's more common people think of Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld."  
"I like Seinfeld too," she gave a laugh but then she became serious again.  
"But Phantastes...I remember the story was beautiful. Very sad but beautiful. How did it go? He found the mirror and began seeing the woman in it..."  
Cosmo nodded.  
"She was under some spell and he tried to break it...Did he summon her or something?"  
"Yes."  
"And then...It ended tragically."  
"It did."  
There was a silence. She was clearly trying to remember how the story went.  
"Please tell me your name," Cosmo said interrupting her thoughts.  
She looked at him again with her dark beautiful eyes.  
"I'm Helena...My family calls me Hella but I've always preferred Helena."  
"Helena...is beautiful. You are beautiful."  
Cosmo wasn't sure where he had gotten the sudden courage to say this, but he was happy he had, for it made her blush.  
Being now even more brave he decided to ask something.  
"Could I have something from you?"  
"What do you mean?"she looked a bit confused.  
"Like that string from your jacket," he pointed at the drawstring of her hoodie.  
"This string from my jacket?" she asked.  
"Yes. I'd like it s a memory."  
"As a memory?"  
"Yes...Unfortunately I have a feeling I will never see you again. Please tell me I'm wrong."  
He had said this looking at her very intensely. Something in her had just made him sense this was the way things were going to go.  
"I wish you were wrong but you're not."  
They looked at each other for a long moment. He was quite sure his eyes reflected the sadness he was feeling. He could see it in her eyes too, and this just made his heart ache. She took hold of the drawstring and slowly pulled it until it came out. Then she scooted closer to him and closed the black string inside the palm of his hand.  
"It's my turn then. My memory," she said.  
Helena put her arms around him. He was slightly surprised but carefully put his arms around her. They were just holding each other on that rooftop, in the Nordic everlasting sunset.  
"Can you just say it's all going to be fine," she finally said pressing her face against his chest.  
"It's all going to be fine."  
Saying this made Cosmo's heart ache even more. Suddenly Helena pulled back and faced him. He swore he could've drowned in those dark eyes.  
"Thank you for making me forget. Even for just a moment."  
He could see there were now tears rising in her eyes. Then, before he could react, she quickly got up and ran to the door.  
"Wait!"  
Cosmo got up as fast as he could but by the time he got back in she was nowhere to be seen.

...

"That's his daughter, Helena. A child prodigy," Ian and Jo could hear Mitsuko's voice in their ear-piece.  
"She got her PhD at age twenty, in the field of Pathology."  
"Pathology?"  
Helena Magnusson was short, girly in a way, and her behavior seemed somehow skittish. Ian got the feeling she didn't seem to enjoy herself at all. Every now and then she was glancing around her. Her father Mr. Magnusson put his hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and didn't look around her anymore.

...

It was quite late at night. They were back at the flat. All the junior Agents had their laptops open. They were analyzing all the info they had gathered from the event that day. Footage, audio, face recognition, whatever they could find. Erik was standing by the window, Ian and Jo were also sitting by the table looking at the screens looking at the data.  
"That was uneventful. But the whole thing…It's SCEPTRE for sure," Erik said.  
"But nothing happened today," Mitsuko said.  
"I have a feeling tomorrow it will," Ian said.  
There was an image of Helena Magnusson on Cosmo's screen. He was obviously reading her biography, looking extremely thoughtful, even grim at times.  
"Everything okay?" Ian asked noticing this.  
"I met her," he said nodding at the screen.  
Ian raised his eyebrows and asked him to tell more. So he told all of them an edited version of their meeting, excluding some things like the embrace.  
"Let me get this straight. The man's name is Loke and he calls his daughter Hella. And she is a pathologist," Gudrun began.  
"He's living the myth...The trickster god Loki and his daughter, Hella, goddess of the underworld."  
"The man probably has a dog called Fenrir and a pet lizard Jörmungandr," Orfeus interjected.  
"And wait. The company NV's CEO is Tyr...The old Norse god of war. Shit. I should've seen this before.." Gudrun was shaking her head now.  
"I mean, it's obvious...I have a feeling I know with whom SCEPTRE has made an alliance with."  
"With whom?" Erik asked.  
"The NüVikings."  
They all just stared at her.  
"Did you just say NüVikings?" Jo finally asked.  
"Yes, it has an umlaut...Although I have feeling that's not what you are wondering."  
From their faces she could see they all expected her to continue.  
"It's a cult. They believe they are the descendants of Vikings and wish to finish what they imagine they started, conquering the world basically."  
"You cannot be serious." Ian said.  
"Where do these cults get spawned?" Erik added.  
"For a long time no one took them seriously but if there's an alliance that definitely changes things. I don't know. Maybe it's not them...I don't know what kind of organization they have nowadays. We should look for more clues."  
Gudrun still seemed to be pondering something.  
"But if it is the NüVikings, this could be SCEPTRE's last act born of out desperation. Before they would have never even considered an alliance with them."

...

Cosmo was on his bed, in the small room, wrapping the black string around his wrist in his thoughts. Before he finally fell asleep, he hoped he would meet the dark fairy in his dreams again.

...


	6. Chapter 6

_Background music suggestion: Dragonforce: Seasons (Acoustic version)_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: McDefection**

 _Is this the coming of the day?_  
 _As the alliance of the dragon takes its prey_  
 _Is this the call of revolution?_  
 _Is this the fall of revolution of the soul?_  
 _Is this the cry from all corruption?_  
 _Or is corruption just a fortress we bestow?_

 _-Saviour Machine: Legion_

...

The following morning was grey and rainy.

"I kept thinking something last night...I didn't want to bother you since you fell asleep so quickly," Ian began.  
They were still in their room.  
"What is it?" Jo asked.  
"It's about Vanya. I don't think he told us everything..."  
"I actually think he has a crush on Helena Magnusson."  
"Based on that one chance encounter?"  
"It's just a feeling...What can I say, an emo knows an emo?"  
Jo just nodded.  
Also, she couldn't help noticing Ian had obviously begun accepting the emo in himself more and more, and was happy for him.

...

"I'm saying we can't hack the fire alarm without being traced. We tried to go around it yesterday, just to test it, and they would have detected us. Definitely," Mitsuko explained.  
They were still at the flat, going through the different scenarios.  
"I'd just prefer they'd never know we were there," Ian said shaking his head.  
The weapons they had hidden in the venue were mostly dart guns. The sedative darts they had with them, hidden in their bags. The drug would cause memory loss but using them would still be problematic since there was a lot of security personnel. Since Gudrun had a little more experience with weapons and Vanya and Mitsuko some but Orfeus practically none, they decided that the last mentioned would stay in the van that day.

...

A girl approached Cosmo at the venue. He had sat close to one of the exit's again.  
"I was asked to give you this," she said giving him a piece of paper.  
Cosmo took it and the girl left as quickly as she had come.

 _The fast food restaurant two blocks south from here.  
_ _I know you don't really know me but I ask you to come alone.  
As soon as you can.  
Please. Helena._

What was he supposed to do? Was this a trap? Pondering these questions Cosmo walked to the corridor as if he had received a call. Around the corner he explained the situation to Orfeus briefly.  
"We should talk to the others," he replied in the ear-piece.  
Cosmo explained the situation again so all could heard it. There was a silence. Who would call the shots now? Would it be Ian, Jo or Erik?  
"I don't know…" Jo finally said.  
"I mean, she has chosen a public place…" she was thinking out loud.  
"If she's willing to switch sides this could be a game breaker," Ian added.  
"I'd say go. But just make sure you don't get ambushed on the way," Erik commented.  
So in a way they all called the shots apparently.  
"And keep us posted." Ian said.  
"The whole time," he added.  
He had a feeling Cosmo would understand the underlying meaning. No breaks from communication this time.

Cosmo thought he would have gone to meet her anyway, no matter what the other Agents would have said. It was difficult for him to explain why, even to himself, but he was sure that's the way it would have gone. He fetched his leather jacket from the lobby and was soon in a side corridor walking towards the door that lead to the fire escape. He exited the building and descended to the parking lot used for maintenance. He had noticed the fast food restaurant the first morning they had driven there. It was perhaps five minutes walk away. He took the most unlikely route, looking very carefully around his surroundings.

As he walked in the rain, his thoughts were racing. He had most certainly not expected to see Helena the following day. Somehow he had assumed they might never meet again, or they would possibly meet in the worst possible circumstances. Her father was obviously with NüVikings, possible even one of the leaders, or the leader. Soon he arrived at the restaurant. It was rather large space and he could spot her in one of the booths in the furthermost corner, as far away from the window as possible. She was wearing the same hoodie as yesterday and her hair was tied to a ponytail now.  
"Hi," Cosmo said sitting down opposite her, surprisingly casually and taking off the wet jacket.  
"Hi," she replied staring at him.  
Everything in her appearance made him think she probably hadn't slept the previous night. Especially her eyes. He could also see the situation made her feel uncomfortable and he didn't want that. She might have been very much connected with the crazy Vikings and SCEPTRE but right now she looked like just one pained human being sitting in front of him. Cosmo had always been quite keen to sense what other people were feeling. It was often even discomforting, to be somehow so connected to the people around him.  
"Would you like something? I'm going to get a coffee," he instinctive asked.  
"Another one wouldn't hurt," she said, obviously looking relieved he had asked this.  
"Sure. How do you want it?"  
"Black."

...

He sat down with two coffees. She still seemed pained but slightly more relaxed.  
"I know you are an Agent of Metal. Agent Vanya. And I have a feeling you now know who I am."  
"I do."  
He was slightly surprised she even knew his Agent name.  
"How did you find these things out?"  
"I'm a researcher. You left me enough clues."  
Cosmo felt he wanted to be fair with her.  
"Before we continue, you should know something. These glasses have a mic and a camera. And they are sending."  
She took a sip of the coffee.  
"I kind of guessed...You didn't have glasses yesterday. Thanks for the coffee and for telling that. Hi everyone," she said obviously talking to the glasses.  
Her reaction somehow surprised and amused him. Perhaps it was the tiredness.  
"It's actually only one person watching you right now. I mean besides myself."  
"What''s the name of this person?" she asked.  
"Orfeus."  
She kept staring at this glasses.  
"Hi Orfeus."  
Then she stared at the coffee mug.  
"Orfeus says hello," Cosmo said after hearing his voice for a second in his ear-piece.  
"This is surreal…" she said raising her eyebrows.  
Cosmo thought this realization of being observed made the encounter even stranger. He couldn't quite be himself and could see she couldn't either. It made it actually feel like the weirdest business meeting ever.  
"You probably want to know why I asked you here. You and the others are thinking whether I wish to defect, right?" she was now talking in the tone he assumed the researcher Helena Magnusson would speak.  
"Correct," was all he could say.  
"And you're also thinking whether this is a scam, a trap, or something like that."  
"Yes. You can probably understand that."  
"I can. The thing is I do wish to...defect. But I guess you also want to know why?"  
"I do," the tone of his voice had been most serious.  
So she told him a story. I guess it was a typical story of how a cult is born. His father was the charismatic center of it. She had always thought this is the way life was, having lived secluded, delving into science and medicine as the purpose of her life. She obviously averted some details just to keep herself together. While she was explaining it for a second Cosmo had a thought of her wearing a mask. She most definitely didn't wish to lose her face now.  
"So about a year ago my father was contacted by these strange people and little by little things just got so fucked up I couldn't…"  
She was shaking her head.  
"You know them. SCEPTRE."  
"And since yesterday I've know they have a weapon. It's called Bargala. They're going to do something here today, as a part of their plan. I guess you have a scenario where you cause everyone in the building to be evacuated. I strongly suggest you use it. This Bargala...I don't know what it exactly is and how exactly it can be destroyed. They don't tell me about it. But I do know what you've done in the past so if anyone can do it, it's the Agents of Metal."  
She took a deep breath. The words had somehow rushed out of her mouth.  
"So yes, I wish to leave it all behind."  
She dug a folder from the backpack she had next to her.  
"I have a lot of data here. You might want to sit next to me as I go through this so you can record the whole thing,"  
Cosmo sat next to her. By the time she had explained the plan of the mountain complex where she lived and worked, and Bargala was held, she had somehow forgotten all about being observed, and mostly her mask too, and Cosmo couldn't help thinking she was now the exact same woman whom he had embraced last night.  
"I guess you couldn't leave with us now?" he asked although he guessed the answer.  
"No," she shook her head.  
"If I leave now you will never get to the complex. They will go on full alert. We leave back there tonight," she was now looking somewhere in the distance. Then she handed him the file.  
"I have done my share. I don't know if there's more I can do now."  
"Thank you Helena," Cosmo said looking her straight in the eyes.  
The dark eyes looked right back at him, somehow solemn.  
"Orfeus wants to thank you too," Cosmo said after hearing his voice in his ear-piece.  
"And he will surely appreciate that I don't wish to take him to the men's room now," Cosmo said rising from the seat.  
He took off his glasses and shut down the mic and camera but he sat right back opposite to her. He could see the surprise in her eyes.  
"I'm so sorry you have to go back there."  
She nodded staring at him.  
Cosmo felt like there was something he needed to know.  
"Could you tell me...why you came to the roof?"  
She suddenly averted his look and swallowed.  
"I just felt so powerless...I thought I would just have to watch the world burn."  
"So later when I dug up who you are, I couldn't believe it."  
She now blushed slightly, still not looking at him directly.  
"I'm sorry about leaving the way I did. I was..."  
She obviously didn't know how to end the sentence.  
"Don't worry about it."  
Now she looked back at him and they just stared at each other for awhile.  
"I can't promise I can convince the others...But I can see you're real," Cosmo said.  
"How?" she asked frowning.  
"I just can. And I want to help you."  
"Thank you, Cosmo."  
"Can I ask you one thing?" she said smiling faintly.  
"Of course."  
"What's the deal with your Agent name?"  
"Well...I actually wanted everyone to assume my real name was Ivan because I disliked Cosmo so much."  
"That's silly." She actually smiled. For real.  
"I know," he said smiling back at her.  
He realized he could've again just kept looking at her smile endlessly but he soon remembered the bitter reality.  
"I'm sorry. I have to put this back on. It's your benefit too. They'll believe you when they'll see you and don't think I'm up to something."  
"I understand."  
"I'm back," Cosmo said.  
"One more thing…" Helena seemed to remember something.  
"I thought a way of communicating with you. It's so difficult because of the security...but I was thinking we could play songs."  
"I'm sorry. What did you say?"  
She turned to the last page of the folder.  
"I was already quite tired at this point...But it's just so stupid and random it could work."  
On the page there was the name of a music website that recorded the details of the tracks that the user listened to.  
"Do you know this?"  
Cosmo nodded.  
"This is my account and I have the code suggested here."  
"I guess this could work," Cosmo said raising his eyebrows looking at the code.  
"I'll create an account."  
"You can write the username here" Helena said lifting the sleeve of her shirt and giving him a marker.  
"I'll use this one," Cosmo said as he wrote the name as neatly as he could.  
It was Phantastes_2014. A smile rose again on her lips as she read it. But then she frowned.  
"I don't have any more time now."  
She rose from her seat.  
"You've recorded everything so...I don't know...I guess this it it then."  
Cosmo cleared his throat.  
"I do hope we'll meet again. Although the circumstances might be...extreme."  
"I do hope we meet again."  
She gave him one more meaningful look before she took her backpack and left. It was somehow filled with sadness. After she was gone Cosmo realized his gut reaction was to very much run after her again.

...

"I've been analyzing the data your glasses are sending. There's have something going on now. Every 218th second there's an image. I've been trying to capture it but there's nothing coherent in it. But I wouldn't look at the presentation further if I were you. Also, there's a very high frequency in the space. It would be a good time to proceed with plan five," all the Agents heard the voice of Orfeus.

Plan five was causing an alarm that would cause evacuation.

...

"Do you have the lighter?" Jo asked.  
They found a place that was hidden from any surveillance cameras. Ian lifted her.  
"This is a bit crude," she said lighting the lighter under the sprinkler. Almost immediately she felt the water on her face as it began to work. Ian lowered her down. They left back for the main hall when the sprinklers shut down.

"THIS WAS A FALSE ALARM."

"I REPEAT. THIS WAS A FALSE ALARM. PLEASE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE."

"I guess it was a bit too crude," Jo said.

...


	7. Chapter 7

_Background music suggestion: The Avengers (from Avengers Assemble)_

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - ...Baby One More Time**

 **...**

"I've created the messages now," Orfeus said.  
They would be pointing out to false sources, first claiming the sprinklers were malfunctioning because of a work done at a construction site close by. Ultimately the messages would lead to a group of virtual anarchists they had fabricated for this purpose, the "TrollingPops".

"Mitsuko, could you buy us some time?" Ian asked.  
"Sure."  
Mitsuko was actually at the construction site, next to the fuse box. She fried it with a small gimmick she liked to call 'Thunderstruck'. It was rigged so that the electricity went out approximately five blocks around the venue.

The lights went off in the main hall but in about five seconds later they returned as the backup power went on. People were getting restless but only very few were leaving.  
"I'm am sorry. We are experiencing some problems with the electricity because of a construction site nearby. We will continue in a few minutes so just remain seated. Or please enjoy some refreshments," the person who was currently talking, another game designer from NV, spoke as he received info from security personnel. So people assumed the program would soon commence and many refilled their caffeine sources.

Orfeus had kept the rest of the Agents posted on Vanya's meeting with Helena Magnusson. It had just ended.  
"So scenario five point one then...Is the high frequency still on in the space?" Ian asked.  
"It shut down when the electricity went off," Orfeus replied.  
"Erik, could you shut down the backup generator now?"  
"Sure."  
He had sneaked to the electrical centre.

For a second the lights went out again but soon they returned. And now also the presentation image came back on the large screen.  
"So they did have the backup of the backup…" Orfeus muttered as he was looking at the Agent's camera feed in his screens.  
"Jo, could you look at the screen again?"  
Her focus was on the screen now.  
"Yep, I just got a glimpse of that freaky thing they're sending. You can't see it with your bare eyes but it's there. Also the frequency is now back."  
He paused for a moment.  
"And there the image was again...Everyone look away. They're sending it more frequently now."  
Ian considered. They could enter the control room, stop the presentation, and possibly blow their cover.  
"This is definitely no longer a recon mission. Plan five point three it is ," he said.

Whatever the strange transmission was, it had to be stopped. Ian and Jo exited the hall. The corridors would be soon swarming with security personnel so they had to hurry. The control room was right in the other end of hall, with darkened windows. They had memorized a route that would be the most inconspicuous one.  
"Gudrun, tell me those cameras we selected are down," Jo said.  
"They're trolling as we speak," she confirmed.  
"But hurry. It might not last long."  
The door of the control room was locked as they suspected. Luckily they knew the ventilation duct from the cleaning closet would connect to the one above the control room. So soon they were crawling inside it.

"How do we always end up in these cramped spaces?" Ian muttered.  
"Try to see the nostalgic side," Jo whispered crawling in front of him.

They were now above the control room and had crawl extremely slowly. Looking through the grate, Jo felt relief noticing there was just one person in the control room at that time, a middle-aged man in guard-like clothes, sitting in an office chair in front of a set of screens.

Jo aimed very carefully and the dart hit him in the neck and in a few seconds he was out. Jo moved the grate and crawled got out as quickly as she could helping Ian then. They placed the guard carefully on the floor with a paper saying 'sorry' on him. This was the "TrollingPops" style. With no time to waste Ian stuck an USB stick to the computer that was obviously used for the presentation.

"Okay. It's there."

Suddenly the presentation slide was replaced with a picture of a trollface, the famous meme indicating someone was about to be trolled. People were obviously confused, the NV staff too.

"Orfeus, you're also plugged in. And we've left the room now."  
Luckily no one had noticed and they sneaked back into the hall.  
"So I can choose the song now?" Orfeus asked.  
"Feel free," Ian said.  
They could hear the first beats.  
"What is this...?" Jo asked.  
"No..." Ian frowned.  
It was the nineties Britney Spears song "...Baby One More Time".  
"At least it's not Rick Astley," Mitsuko commented in the earpiece.  
Suddenly they all heard Gudrun's voice.  
"We sang this at math camp. And changed 'give me a sign' to 'what is cosine'."  
For a moment it was dead quiet.  
"Must be good memories," Orfeus finally said.  
"They were."  
"Right then..." Ian interjected.  
The trollface was gone and soon in the style of Star Wars there was a text rolling on the largest screen.

DON'T PANIC.

I REPEAT.

PLEASE DON'T PANIC.

THERE MIGHT BE A BOMB.

BUT THEN AGAIN,

THERE MIGHT NOT BE ONE.

ALSO,

I MIGHT HAVE FORGOTTEN

TO TAKE MY MEDICINE TODAY.

The message looped now. They knew it would cause some panic and it did. This had been the last resort. Luckily most people assumed it was just a sick joke. But everyone had to be evacuated.

And on that bombshell, the crowd, with the Agents among them, were soon out.

...


	8. Chapter 8

_Background music suggestion: Iron Maiden's Journeyman_

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - Unravelling**

...

They were back at the flat. The large kitchen table had been moved to the living room. From the sofa Erik looked at the other agents sitting around the table, staring at the screens.

They had watched the video of Cosmo's encounter with Helena Magnusson and divided the material in her file to be separately analyzed. The mysterious word Bargala apparently meant 'echo' in ancient Assyrian. They had also followed the news. Luckily the evacuation had happened in a good fashion and panic had been averted.

Orfeus and Mitsuko were trying to solve MoGaCon transmissions.  
"I don't understand them. I've never seen anything like this. I mean they obviously have data in them but it is as if there's some layer I can't grasp...," Orfeus was talking about the mystery images.  
"Also, I didn't notice it back then but they were also sending extremely low sounds. Infrasounds. This is definitely mind-controlling."

…

It was a surprisingly warm night, early hours of the morning. Jo had been standing by the open window for some time now, looking down at the quiet street. She just couldn't get sleep. A lonely car went by.

"What's wrong, Jo?" she was suddenly startled Ian's voice.  
She could sense he now stood close behind her. He had moved there in an extremely stealth manner.  
"I'm sorry if I scared you."  
She kept looking down to the street.  
"It's okay...I just can't sleep. I keep thinking...That it was just all too easy. The way I was left off the hook when Hermann helped us with that deal. So that it was all swept under some rug."  
Hermann Grieg, their former technology supplier, had made a deal with the government for the Area 51 transgressions. He saw it as some sort of compensation for the Agents saving the world. After that they had parted their ways.  
"Anyway, I don't know why I'm thinking about this now. Or actually I do. I know it was only a dart weapon today but I couldn't help thinking...That I never want to kill again."  
"We didn't have a choice. We might not have now."  
"I know."  
There was a silence.  
"Could you just hold me?"  
Jo felt Ian's arms around her. The universe was a slightly better place again.

…

Helena's username was Aquarius_h and she had been using the service already for nine years. Cosmo analyzed her history because he was curious. Apparently Helena had become a user in her early teens. Back then her musical taste had then been mostly Eurodance. Cosmo could also remember listening to groups like Aqua and E-Type hanging out as a teenager with his friends. She had clearly gone through different phases. Some years ago she had begun listening to flower metal, and also symphonic and gothic metal. He smiled as he noted how she had always had one favourite song, like she had repeated DragonForce's 'Seasons' endlessly a year ago. He also noticed that soon after that her musical taste had altered. Night after night, she would listen to gothic metal for hours. He put the album she had most frequently played, Virgin Black's Requiem - Mezzo Forte, on. After listening it for some time he couldn't help remembering...the sad look in her eyes.

The code was quite simple. There was a long list of songs that could be used as a signal that the actual message would begin after that song. They would always pick the first letter of the last word. Then there would be a song indicating that the message was over.  
Cosmo played one the signal songs. It was Nightwish's Nemo.

Then, he had decided to go with Ayreon.

 _Day Seven: Hope  
_ _Day Two: Isolation  
_ _Day Seven: Hope  
_ _Day Seventeen: Accident?  
_ _Day Eleven: Love  
_  
He had to play at least half of the song so it would appear on the tracking list. Playing this short message had taken approximately twelve minutes. He finally ended the message with one of the ending signal songs, also Nightwish. Then, it was time to wait. Sometime after midnight Helena replied. _  
_

' _HINEO'_

Yes, in the code she had chosen them code names, and yes they were economical in length, and they most certainly contained sci-fi references.

Her message continued.

' _HAVEUDECIDEDWHATTODO'_

She had obviously tried to pick short songs but the message still stook over half an hour.

Cosmo sent their answer.

' _WEWILLSOON'_

They were still analyzing the data, trying to think if it was even possible to storm the complex. Cosmo was mainly responsible for communicating with Helena. He would check for her messages, keep her posted on their development and choose the actual songs. Between the messages they would both listen to songs too. Two nights after MoGaCon Helena was once again listening to Virgin Black as she did seemed to do most nights. For some reason Cosmo suddenly remembered her question on the rooftop, about him being like Batman...He thought for a second and it was an impulse. Perhaps she would have his profile open. He played a song from a Batman soundtrack called "I am the Batman." It was quite late and he knew it was silly but somehow it hoped it would cheer her up. He had an odd feeling that somehow she needed that. After her current song had finished, she began playing a song from a Batman soundtrack called "Mind if I Cut In?" Cosmo smiled and straightened himself in his chair. He had gotten her attention. He searched the song and realized it had been actually been the theme of Catwoman in the movie. Apparently she was in a relatively good mood if she could joke that way. Then, Cosmo tested sending a message in their code.

' _ITSC'_

He tried to pick very short soundtrack songs. Those that would last only a minute or so.

' _AREUOK'_

He continued. Then, one by one the songs appeared on her list and in the code he could read.

' _ISURVIVE'_

Cosmo tried to think of something encouraging. He began to send the only sentence he could think of.

' _HANGINTHEREH'_

Helena replied.

' _THANKSC'_

...

The following day they noticed Helena was sending a long message.

' _OVERHEARDWORDNAMMAPOSSIBLYARTEFACT'_

Receiving this message that had contained thirty letters had taken over two hours. Later that day there was another message.

' _PLANDEADLINEAUGUSTTWENTYFIRSTDONTKNOWMORE'_

It was early June so the date was still over two months away.

The following day they got another message.

' _NAMMAANDBARGALACONNECTEDMYSTERYSTILL'_

After these messages the Agents had a long meeting.

...

Erik was in the bathroom looking at his mirror image.

They had now decided they would go to the the mountain complex and face Bargala and NüVikings.

And SCEPTRE.

There was a stern look in Erik's eyes now. He touched his jawline that already had stubble on it. Perhaps he could not seek revenge on Nibiru but SCEPTRE had most certainly played a role in Gwen's death. There was only one thought filling his mind now.

He would avenge her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Background music suggestion: Avantasia: The Scarecrow**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: ' _HOPE_ '**

...

It was early morning. Too early, Jo had said half-asleep when he left. Ian was again up before everyone else, running, wishing to catch some coolness of the dawn. The trail was circling on the low slopes, amidst the trees. It felt comfortable to run. He had been there quite a few mornings but this was the first one when he realized there was a particular scent, pine apparently, that actually reminded him...of home.

 _Home_.

The thought surprised him. He actually had a home now. The crappy trailer in Rock Falls. But he immediately realized it wouldn't have been his home without Jo. That one night in Oslo when she had expressed her wish to avoid killing again...And that moment had somehow remained with him. He couldn't help wondering how could one destroy the evil without causing destruction oneself? Would it even be possible?

It was all about the timing now. And about _Lithasblot_. Helena had suggested this. Lithasblot was an ancient Norse harvest festival that was an important part of the NüVikings cult culture. It would take place on the last day of July. Apparently most people at the complex would get wasted and it would be a good day to sneak in. Also, by that time almost two months from MoGaCon would have passed so they hoped the evil alliance would have let their guard down. And there was still time till their apparent deadline, August 21st. Of course they would choose that anticosmic date.

When the Agents decided to travel to Bucharest in mid-June it had already been painfully hot. The pavements were practically melting. Luckily Vlad the Forger had set them up with the place in Transylvania. It could be described either a small villa or a very large cabin. It was quite close to a valley, surrounded by an epic forest. The mountain location had first reminded Ian of the attempt to reintegrate him back to SCEPTRE.

In the mornings and evenings, when the weather was bearable, they would practice. Especially using weapons with the junior Agents. During the hours they spent indoors, they would plan. Weighing their odds and the data Helena had given them, the mission obviously needed to be as stealthy as possible. Helena had tried to pry about the ultimate masterplan but the Agents had demanded her not to take unnecessary risks. So Bargala remained a mystery. As well as Namma, the other mystery word that had come up. It turned out to be a name of an ancient Mesopotamian mother goddess. Ian didn't like this at all. He had had enough of names like Suhrim, Ahriman, Lilith, Samael, Tiamat, Nihil and Baphomet. Especially Baphomet who apparently was genetically his father. When Ian thought about it, he guessed the only name among them that he wasn't completely disgusted by, was Apollyon, the strange scientist who he had met at the fnord facility and who had later saved him at the mountain complex. The man's destiny still haunted him sometimes. He had been separated from him during their escape through the sewers, and had probably died.

...

"Have you thought of their ship...Are they like...SCEPTkings or NüViRE?" Orfeus asked while they were spending the painfully hot moment of the day in the living room, going through their plans once again.  
"Bastards. That's what they are," Gudrun said sternly with a Swedish accent.

Luckily for the seven Agents all their personalities seemed to mesh. Well, Gudrun and Orfeus seemed to somewhat annoy each other but they managed. Also, it had taken time for Mitsuko and Orfeus find their way. They had apparently expected to be attracted to each other, but when this wasn't the case, they had luckily found a sibling-like chemistry.

Gudrun had confronted Erik quite bluntly on the second evening in Romania.  
"So Erik, would you like me to join you in your room?"  
Erik had raised his eyebrows. He couldn't help thinking certain type of women seemed to be attracted to him. The straightforward valkyrie type.  
"Thanks Gudrun...But no thanks."  
"I actually knew you were going to say that," she shrugged.  
"But a girl has to try," she said with a wry smile on her lips.  
"Do you have someone back home?"  
"No," Erik said.  
Gudrun looked thoughtful.  
"Now I am surprised."  
Then the conversation just died there, neither of them even bothered by this.

Erik had listened to Gwen's grunting again the other night, setting himself in the mood for her vengeance. But it only made him sad...He thought it was strange how one could leave something like that behind...

The voice was so alive.

…

Cosmo was sitting on his bed the laptop on his lap. He and Helena had somehow ended up establishing blogs in Tumblr. There Helena was _selinahthings_ , which Cosmos noted to be a reference to Catwoman's original identity. Cosmo was _chiropteraman_ which he thought to be quite clever. Of course they wouldn't publicly react to each others blogs in any way but they would post random stuff that they knew the other would see. Thoughts. Memes. Even something Cosmo would classify as poetry. And rarely they would even post a random photo. That evening she had a picture of her pet goat. It was apparently called Gerda and he thought it was cute. Perhaps a bit weird. But cute.

Cosmo had told nothing of the Tumblr blogs to the other Agents. He had told himself that if Helena would give some essential information through this channel, he would react. He thought perhaps this outlet would help her remain sane. Sometimes he would watch the recording of their meeting. He told himself it was just for preparing for the mission. Deep down he knew it wasn't exactly that. Perhaps the others would find out...Cosmo's thoughts returned to their last night in Oslo, when Orfeus had confronted him about turning the feed off when meeting Helena.

 _"I'm actually not an idiot, Vanya. I hacked into your set."_  
 _"What if I had actually been in the toilet?" Cosmo asked sarcastically, trying to appear cool.  
_ _And trying to remember what exactly had he and Helena talked about.  
_ _Orfeus laughed.  
_ _"That would have been my tragedy."  
_ _"But Vanya, for your own benefit...Do know that you suck at lying."  
_ _"Note taken."  
_ _Orfeus actually now seemed a bit grim now. It was a bit unlike him.  
_ _"She's one tragic woman…I hope we get her out."_

 _..._

Gudrun was still up.

"Shouldn't you get some to sleep too?"  
She took off her headphones. It had been Orfeus.  
"I'm going to in a minute."  
She looked more relaxed than usually.  
"Can I ask what are you doing?" Orfeus asked. He was curious, like he often seemed to be.  
"This actually isn't Agent related. I like to write this thing...to unwind. Fanfiction," she said her eyes returning to the screen.  
"I think I've heard of that. So is it something like that..."Fifty Shades of Grey"?" Orfeus asked.  
"Hell no," Gudrun said now looking at him quite angrily. But she instantly calmed down seeing from Orfeus' reaction he actually hadn't meant to offend her.  
"I mean, I don't write that kind of stuff...And I'd actually prefer we'd finish this conversation now."  
"Sure. I really didn't mean to insult you or anything like that."  
She nodded, looking quite concentrated.  
Orfeus frowned.  
"Just one thing," he said nodding towards her headphones.  
"I couldn't help noticing, I mean hearing…"  
"What is it?"  
"By any chance are you listening to..."  
He swallowed.  
"Dubstep?"  
Gudrun's eyes widened a bit.  
"Yes...I am."  
Orfeus nodded, staring in her eyes.  
"Cool…I really like dubstep."  
"Me too," Gudrun said staring back at him.

To both of them...This was unprecedented.

...

 _'HOWRU'_

He had just played "I am the Batman".

 _'TIRED_ _PLAYMEHOPE'_

Cosmo thought for a moment and put "Seasons" by DragonForce on.  
He actually continued playing it back to back, not knowing what else to do.

Song by song her answer unraveled.

' _THXCOSMO_ '

 _..._

 _The words are dying in the night_  
 _No winter lasts forever_  
 _The seasons pass  
_ _And the sunlight will shine  
_ _On my life again_

 _\- Dragonforce: Seasons_

...


	10. Chapter 10

Background music suggestion: Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Warm Up**

 _We come from the land of the ice and snow_  
 _From the midnight sun_  
 _Where the hot springs flow_

 _-Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song_

 **...**

"I'd prefer we'd have some chain of command here," Gudrun said.  
They had one of their daily meetings in the living room. It was a week till the mission.  
"And I've noticed the three of you avoid this subject."  
She gave Ian, Jo and Erik each a glance.  
"Malin is right. Someone has to lead," Orfeus said, walking next to her.  
"Okay...It's Ian," Erik said.  
Ian's eyes immediately shot to Erik's.  
"Yes, I say it's Ian too," Jo nodded.  
"I mean...If it's okay with you."  
Ian honestly didn't know what to say. This had come out of nowhere. He had had no intention of being the leader of this pack, or Agent squad, whatever one wished to call it. His gut reaction was very much to dissociate. It felt almost the same had someone told the PFY he had suddenly become the BOFH.  
"He seems a bit shocked," Mitsuko said smiling.  
"He'll come out of it," Erik said rising from his chair.  
"Can I just think about it for awhile?" Ian asked.  
"Sure," there was an unanimous answer.  
"I'll tell you tonight," he said almost absentmindedly and left the room, Jo following him.

They were soon walking in the forest. Luckily that day wasn't burning hot.

"It might as well be you or Erik."  
"No," Jo said shaking her head.  
She stopped and Ian too.  
"Erik is basically his own leader. Yes, he will follow when needed but he certainly doesn't want to lead. And as for me, it's the same when you asked me to become the guitarist/vocalist. I'm just not cut out for it. I'm a guitarist. You know that. And besides, at MoGaCon you practically led us during most of that mission. Especially the end of it. I don't know if you noticed it but you did."  
"So you really think I can do this?"  
Jo nodded.  
"And...you promise to be my first officer?"  
"You know that."  
She smiled now.  
"Although I think that term is only used with ships and planes."  
"I knew that, wing man."

...

 _Four days later_

Cosmo exited the office building in Oslo, feeling drained. He touched his hair once again. It still felt weird. Jo had cut it the previous night and in the morning she had helped him to turn into its present spiky appearance.

"I remember the first time I went undercover with Ian...It was this horrible metal festival," Jo had said applying the hair gel.  
Cosmo guessed she was trying to cheer him up.  
"He chose the name Crucifier and I was Ravenna...I mean, we had some other names but I've forgotten those already."

That day Cosmo would be Jakov Turau.

In the office Cosmo had met an elderly woman. She shook his hand but didn't introduce herself. The woman was wearing a grey business suit and lots of bling.

"Have you liked living in Oslo?" the woman had asked in the most polite tone when they were sitting in her office.  
"Yes. The summer has been nice."  
"Oslo is so nice in the summer."  
After some tedious small talk, he had signed the contract. They had also taken blood tests and made sure his Belarusian was fluent. Of course this had been no problem since it was his mother tongue.  
"The language was the most specific request. As you understand we cannot have the client disappointed."  
"Of course."  
A younger woman had entered the room and brought in some papers. They were obviously the results of his tests. The elderly woman carefully read through them. It felt like an endless amount of time.  
"Everything seems to be in order."  
She put the paper to a folder, giving Cosmo a sheet of paper.  
"Here are the specifics. What to wear et cetera. And the rendezvous point."  
She said this giving him her best, yet so obviously fake, smile.  
"If this goes well, we would certainly like to continue working with you. I've heard good things of your work back in Minsk."  
"Great," Cosmo said conjuring his own smile.

They had found a way to get someone inside. And it had been Helena's suggestion again. The other agents had barely blinked their eyes when she had suggested it but Cosmo was clearly upset.

' _ICANREQUESTAPROSTITUTE'_

' _WITHSPECIFICS'_

Cosmo had been angry when he had realized what the fourth word would be. So this was her life. Requesting prostitutes. With specifics. Of course he shouldn't have been surprised. It was a cult life. And why the fuck should he care, he thought.

The Agents had told Helena they would consider her suggestion and answer as soon as possible. And also consider who they would possibly send. In the end they had decided to take the risk. The person who would take this role had to be a hacker because the task would mean infiltrating the security system.

Later that night Helena had played "Mind if I Cut in?" and the songs had begun scrolling.  
First Cosmo wanted to shut the computer but he didn't do it after all.

' _CANUDOIT'_

He knew what she meant. Songs continued scrolling.

' _PLEASE'_

An hour passed, songs scrolled.

' _OTHERSIDONTKNOW'_

Fuck.  
He knew he would volunteer.

Cosmo sighed and put two songs in the playlist, spelling his message.

' _OK'_

At least he would be an elite prostitute unlike those sad women his father had brought home.

...

It was raining as the chopper flew through the majestic mountain landscape with the six Agents on board. Cosmo would go to the rendezvous point at a local nightclub the following day. Ian was piloting the helicopter. The sky was probably as dark as it could get, covered in heavy clouds. The night would still refuse to fall in the north. They landed a half day's' hike from the complex. Hermann Grieg had provided the gear. Apparently this was considered an emergency and he had still promised to help in one.

In the evening they set up a simple camp. They would continue approaching the complex the following day and wait till the nightfall.  
"I hate mosquitoes. I just deeply, deeply hate them," Orfeus complained.

Also, it began to rain.

...

Cosmo had arrived at the club and was directed to a private lounge. He was apparently the only guy. Besides him there were five young women. A limousine had taken them to a helicopter where they were actually blindfolded.

He was startled awake as the blindfold was taken off. He couldn't believe he had actually fallen asleep. They were helped out of the helicopter and Cosmo looked around holding his breath. The location was...spectacular. He couldn't take his eyes off the mountains that were partly covered in mist. It had rained and the sky looked so grey it would probably rain more soon. The group was escorted through a pathway that lead through a spruce forest.

Finallly they arrived at the complex. It consisted of several smaller buildings that were located on quite a steep slope, connected with wooden stairs, pathways and decks. Cosmo also knew there were vast underground parts. The architecture was very modern and mostly wooden. The blasting music filled the air. It resembled metal, Cosmo wasn't sure of the genre though. There was an odd distortion, adding an otherworldly beat on top of it. Anyway, it was obvious the party had begun.

"This way. She's waiting for you," a tall man in a black suit said as Cosmo was guided to another direction as the rest of the group. He followed the man to the wooden steps towards a separate small building on the edge of the complex. Climbing the steps Cosmo couldn't help thinking that had he not been an undercover Agent on a mission, he would have been soon probably fucking Helena for money. Fuck. This was just against all his ideals. Now he found himself in even a sourer mood.

Finally they reached the wooden deck in front of a smoke tinted glass door. The man pressed a button in the console inserted in the wall next to it.  
"Han er her."  
There was a silence and then a voice.  
"Greit...Han kan komme inn."  
There was click. The door had obviously been opened. The man gestured him to enter and left back down the stairs.

Cosmo entered. The space was loft like, long, and dark. Following the foyer there was a kitchen and dining area, in the middle a sofa and large flat screen tv. At the other end of the room there was a bed, a small desk opposite to it. The wall at the back was obviously made of glass panels but it had been darkened.

A door next to him opened. Cosmo could see it led to the bathroom.  
It was her.  
"Hello Helena," Cosmo said realizing he had sounded most robotic. He was still in a very bad mood.  
Helena was wearing a turquoise party dress of some flowing material. Seeing her this way annoyed him even more for some reason. But soon Cosmo realized she was just staring at him and she looked somehow...odd.  
"Good to see you," she finally said.  
"It is," Cosmo replied trying to sound neutral now.  
Perhaps she had expected more but it was just beyond him at that moment. There was another awkward silence. He had to break it.  
"I should start...Do you have the laptop and the headset?"  
She just nodded, still looking strange, pointing at the laptop on the desk at the other end of the room.  
"Cosmo…" she said quietly before he left.  
"Yes?"  
She knit her brow.  
"I took these...pills...to calm myself. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to function...but I think I took too many. I hadn't taken them for such a long time…"  
She closed her eyes and shook her head.  
Fuck, Cosmo thought. He understood the strangeness now. This wasn't part of the plan.  
"I feel so tired..."  
He looked at the time. It was 20:16. There would still be hours till the others would arrive.  
"Try to sleep."  
It was the only thing he could think of. Helena nodded and took her high heels off. Then she slowly walked to the bed at the other end of the room and threw herself on it. Cosmo sighed and followed her to that part of the room, to the desk. Then he sat by the computer, beginning his work.

After a while he glanced towards the bed. Helena was definitely sleeping. He immediately turned to look away. He wouldn't look at her. Looking at her sleeping...That would have been just wrong.

"Agents, can you hear me?" Cosmo finally said to the headset.  
He had set up the communications link and felt relief as one by one the agents confirmed.

...

It was 22:16 now. Cosmo had been following the other Agents' progress.

Also, he had glanced at Helena occasionally. She was still sleeping. Cosmo thought there probably was a service that would provide sleeping elite prostitutes for the clients to look at; people who would look exquisitely beautiful when sleeping, never drooling on the pillow. Beautiful dreamers, that's what they could be called. After realizing this was one extremely tired thought, he decided to rest for a moment as there was a long night ahead of him.

He headed for the sofa, keeping the wireless headset on. The others would arrive around 1 AM.

...

At the complex they would divide into two teams. Ian and Jo would go to Loke Magnusson's rooms and try to raid his computer. Erik, Gudrun and Mitsuko would go to lower labs where they knew Bargala was kept. Orfeus would stay at some distance and coordinate the others again. It was time for them to part their ways.  
Orfeus approached Gudrun as she was checking her gear once more.  
"Take care, Malin."  
She was startled but clearly not annoyed.  
"You too, Ernesto."  
She frowned now.  
"I hope..."  
She sighed.  
"What do you hope?"  
"That if we'll get back, we could…"  
She seemed to actually be lost for words.  
"Listen to more dubstep?" he finished her sentence.  
"Yes," she said quietly, finally looking at him.  
Then she embraced him quickly and left.

...


	11. Chapter 11

_Background music suggestion: The Piano Guys: Code Name Vivaldi_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Breaking and Entering**

It was midnight.

In about an hour the agents would arrive at the edge of the compound. The wet terrain hadn't made this the easiest hike for them. Ian and Jo would be Team Red and the rest; Erik, Gudrun and Mitsuko; Team Blue.

...

Cosmo was standing next to the bed.  
"Wake up."  
He was hoping the audio stimulus would be enough.  
"Wake up," he repeated now louder.  
Helena opened her eyes.  
"There's coffee," Cosmo said walking back to the computer.  
He could hear she slowly lifted herself to sit on the edge of the bed.  
"I'm sorry."  
Cosmo noted she sounded quite normal now.  
"I thought you'd be smarter than this," he said not taking his eyes off the screen.  
There was a silence.  
"You really don't get it," Helena said now rising from the bed.  
She walked next to him. Cosmo didn't look at her.  
"You don't. And believe me, you've already made it clear. You hate the prostitute thing. Believe me, I wasn't jumping for joy when I suggested it. But it seemed to be the only way to get you in."  
There was another silence.  
"Why am I even bothering?"  
She turned, walking now to the other end of the loft. But then she stopped and turned around.  
"I. DID. NOT. CHOOSE. THIS."  
She had spit the words out, angrily, one by one.  
Cosmo finally raised his eyes from the screen and looked at her. Her hands were in tight fists, body visibly tense. He knew there was a truth in her words and it stung him.  
"I don't want to judge you," he said swallowing now.  
"Then don't," Helena replied clearly letting go of some of the tension.  
She put her shoes back on, with determination.  
"Let's just do this."

It was 00:04 as they left for her lab.

Cosmo had the agent glasses on now, sending to Orfeus. They walked to another building close-by and took an elevator down. Then they walked along quite a long corridor, obviously going inside the mountain. She used her card key and they entered the lab. It was already dimly lit and they didn't put any more lights on.

"You should be able to do it from here."  
Cosmo sat by the terminal.

"I have to concentrate now."  
"Of course."

Helena stood there in silence, a few metres away from him. He could feel her presence all the time.

...

An hour later Cosmo spoke to his earpiece.  
"Team Blue. The security systems in that section are down. You can proceed."  
"And I'll get the door code in just a minute."  
Cosmo was right about to finish getting the code when things happened in a blur. Within seconds Helena approached him and sat on his lap, legs astride, making herself space between the desk and him, with quite a lot of force. She pressed her cheek against his, putting her arms around him. Almost immediately after this had happened Cosmo heard a voice behind him and realized what was going on. It was a male voice speaking Norwegian. Helena pulled back and said something angrily. Then the man left.  
"Sorry about that," she said immediately trying to lift herself. It was apparent that sitting on him had been easier than getting back up.  
"Can I help you?"  
"I'll manage."  
After the first failed attempt she was soon standing again next to him.  
"He _was_ actually sorry about interrupting us," Helena said smiling faintly.  
"Nice of him."  
He took a deep breath. Helena's scent still lingered there.  
"Okay...Team Blue, I have the code here for the room...It's 911."

...

"911?"

The code was almost sad. Erik punched it in and there was a pleasant green light.

They entered the room. It was an octagon. Some kind of minimum lighting was on. In the middle there was a lonely desk with a computer on it. Erik hit the keyboard and the terminal came alive. He was startled as he didn't meet a locked screen or a desktop but instead he was staring a pair of eyes with colorless irises, on a white background. It was just the eyes, no eyebrows, no face.  
"Are you here for a test?" he could hear a female voice. The eyes now seemed to look at him, the expression in them questioning. The voice definitely came from the computer. Erik realized it had actually sounded a bit uncertain. The Agents looked at each other, clearly considering what the correct answer would be.  
"I'm not here for a test," Erik finally said.  
"Can I go then?" the voice immediately asked.  
He pondered what the correct reply would be.  
"You can," he said.  
In a second the screen became black again. It would have been one weird ass screensaver, Erik thought, but he knew it was an AI. And their encounter was probably documented now. What was the test it had asked him about? For a second he thought perhaps he should have agreed to it but it seemed risky. Still, he realized they needed to know more. He considered he could use an EMP on the machine afterwards. Erik pressed the space on the keyboard. The eyes reappeared as he had suspected.  
"So you are here for a test?" the voice asked.  
There was a hint of frustration in it.  
"No."  
The eyes blinked a few times.  
"What are you?"  
"What am I?" the voice asked.  
"Yes."  
"I am Bargala. The one forged of eleven."  
That sounded ominous.  
"But who are _you_?" Bargala asked.  
"You don't need to know."  
" _E-e-e-e_ " the voice suddenly distorted for a second. A brief rumbling noise followed.  
"Sorry.."  
The eyes looked...slightly embarrassed if Erik interpreted them correctly.  
He decided to push on. This AI was obviously quite talkative and he needed to get to the core of this. Quickly.  
"What is your purpose?"  
"What is my purpose?" the voice sounded almost amused.  
Had there been eyebrows, they would have certainly been raised.  
"To rule, of course."  
"How?"  
"I run the sequence and you resonate."  
"What is the sequence?"  
"Why do you ask me questions?"  
"I'm curious."  
"Curiosity isn't part of the resonance...is it?"  
Erik had the feeling the conversation had just taken a bad turn.  
"We. Leave. Now," he said to the others.  
"Bye then," they could hear the eyes say.  
When they exited the room, there was a rather unpleasant surprise.

Walls had moved.

"We're trapped. I repeat. We are trapped."

...

Loke Magnusson's rooms were located in the most spectacular spot of the complex. It was next to a mountain stream, large windows facing it. The rooms were empty and Orfeus had helped them turn off the security and then getting access to the computer. It was transmitting the data to Orfeus now, painfully slowly though.

"I don't like this. It's too easy."

Not long after Ian had said this, they heard a female voice, as if it echoed from the wall.

"You are right. It is too easy. Don't move. Let me assure you that you are targeted."

...

"So nice to finally meet you."  
The guards shoved the five agents forward to sit on the two sofas. Loke Magnusson was sitting in a large arm chair, a wine glass in his hand.  
"Do make yourself...as comfortable as you can," he said leaning his other hand on his cheek. From the sound of his voice they could hear the man was intoxicated. Or high.  
"So you're Necro Legion Ian Smith."  
He actually pointed at Ian.  
"The man with the metal heart. How poetic."  
Ian didn't feel like he needed to correct the misassumption.  
"You should see what Hella has done. She has taken things _so_ much further."  
Then he turned to look at Jo.  
"Let me guess, you must be...Joan "Jo" Alder, Phantasm."  
"You two are lovers. Sweet."  
Then he almost aggressively pointed at Erik.  
"And _you_ are Erik "the Goat" Stein."  
Then he squinted looking at Mitsuko and Gudrun.  
"You two...You're new, aren't you?"  
Then he sighed and looked at the ceiling for a moment.  
"SCEPTRE has told me a lot about you...I mean...They hate you. Really. Really. Hate. You. Especially...you," he pointed lazily at Ian again.  
Then, he put the wine glass on the table and did the meditating pose.  
"I know, I know...You're all wondering what will happen on 21st of August."  
He looked at them now, one by one.  
"Believe me, I'm dying to tell you. What the Hel...You'll die soon enough so I might as well tell you...Because I never get to tell anyone."  
He took his wine glass and looked at it.  
"Namma…"  
The moment felt endless.  
"Will be the body of the Beast."  
He took a sip of wine, adding to the dramatic effect of the words. Finally he continued.  
"Yes, I can see what you are all thinking. _The Beast_...They wanted to borrow that bit from Revelation...It's just so dramatic. But coming back to Namma, it is so important, so sacred, to them, you know, because of the...Azerate. They actually found it from...It's quite an amazing story..."  
He was swirling the wine in his glass, frowning.  
"Some place with _'ay'_."  
He actually looked at them questioning as if they could know the answer.  
"And Bargala...It is the soul. The eleven are in there. I mean _we_ are. I mean, because I'm in there too. And, the body and soul will be fused on 21st of August. Because again, they just love that date."  
He shook his head, running his finger on the rim of the glass.  
"I'm not saying I always get them…I don't..."  
For a moment he seemed almost drowsy but then he obviously snapped out of it.  
"How I would love to tell you where the show will take place...But I won't."  
He put the wine glass on the table.  
"But I will tell you the next thing you're so painfully obviously thinking. _How_ will it rule? Well, let's just say...This is their plan F. Or maybe G. And Match11...was just a tip of the iceberg. I'm saying...enough people in the world are primed and the rest will...feel quite nauseous."  
He gave a low chuckle.  
"Leave Ian Necro Legion Smith. The rest you can take away."  
Loke Magnusson looked at Ian. Then at Jo.  
"I'm all for sentiment. Go ahead. Give him a last kiss."  
They were both made to stand up and shoved forward so that they were facing each other.  
"I promise. It _will_ be his last."

Ian felt it was all happening too fast. Their hands were tied behind so he bent closer, just so that he could whisper something to Jo's ear. He was somewhat dissociated for otherwise it would have been impossible for him to say the words he wanted to say.  
" _Love you._ "  
He had said it so quietly only she could hear it. When he pulled back he could see Jo was staring somewhere in the distance. And he could see she was fighting, dissociating in her own way, holding herself together. Finally, her eyes looked at him, and inaudibly her lips formed a single word.  
" _Always_."  
They both knew the reference.  
That time Jo had been steering the Yaris to what they expected to be their certain death.

And now...All had been said. Each mission could have been the last and this would be.  
The brief kiss that followed was surreal.  
"Enough," Loke Magnusson said.  
The rest were taken away, only Ian was left standing there, in the middle of the room.

Mr. Magnusson walked to his desk and took a weapon from the drawer.  
"You like darts, don't you?"  
Even in his present state he was able to load the weapon.  
"I guess it was your doing at MoGaCon…"  
He walked to face Ian and pressed the weapon to the side of his neck.  
"Well, _baby_ …I am going to hit you…one...more...time."

Ian had kept his eyes closed. He had his reason. If he was going to exit this world, the last thing he wished to remember was Jo's eyes. He felt the stinging feeling on his neck and Loke Magnusson said something. He didn't listen. He was still looking into her eyes.

Then the blackness entered his mind.


	12. Chapter 12

_Background music suggestion: The Piano Guys, Lindsey Stirling: Mission Impossible_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Attempts**

Immediately after the two teams had been captured, which had happened almost simultaneously, Orfeus contacted Cosmo and explained the situation. Having heard what had happened, he felt extremely nauseous for a moment. He could also hear from Orfeus' voice that he wasn't far from losing it. But then he immediately realized that neither of them were actually going to lose it for the sake of their comrades. They probably had a shot at rescuing them still.

In the case the mission should fail, Ian had ordered Orfeus to take whatever they had gathered and contact Hermann Grieg so that he would be retrieved as he could not pilot the chopper himself. This was part of the emergency deal. Apparently there was an agency, MSA, short for the Majestic Security Agency, that could still stop the plans. At least they now had footage of the conversation with Bargala and data from Loke Magnusson's computer.

...

"They have probably been taken to my father...And he will kill Ian as a service for SCEPTRE," Helena said when Cosmo told her.  
For a moment Helena had been in some state of shock but luckily it was turning into determination.  
"I cannot stop that part...But I think I can interfere with what happens next. He can still be saved...But I need to go to my father. Now."  
There was something grave in her expression that made Cosmo uneasy. He looked at her as she took her cell phone from the table.  
"I'm sending Einherjar a message. He's in charge of the party. I'll tell him I'm keeping you for another day."  
Cosmo nodded. After she finished her message they looked at each other. He couldn't help feeling that at least temporarily all the uneasiness between them had completely dissolved. They were going to do whatever they could to save the captured agents - together.

...

Cosmo was now listening, sitting by the laptop in Helena's apartment. They had bugged her in the case something would go wrong. He could hear Helena breathing quite heavily for a moment. He felt sorry she couldn't have an earpiece so that he could encourage her. There was click, and Cosmo knew she had opened a door.

She was in _._

" _Far."  
_ " _Hella…Jeg trodde du var et annet sted...Var det noe galt med ham?"_

Cosmo recognized Loke Magnusson's voice. He was most definitely drunk and clearly surprised to see his daughter. And Cosmo understood he was asking whether there had been something wrong with the prostitute.

" _Nei. Det er ingenting galt...Jeg kommer tilbake til ham senere. Jeg hørte at du fikk Smith... Du vet at jeg er interessert i hans hjerte."_

She was asking about Ian now, about his heart. This was the believable interest for his body. Cosmo couldn't help noticing Helena's voice...had sounded so controlled. She definitely had her mask on.

" _Selvfølgelig... Jeg ville ha levert ham til deg naturlig...Vel...Hella, her er min Lithasblot gave til deg søte."_

Silence followed.

 _"Far, ta ham til laboratoriet. Nå."  
_ " _Viss."_

Cosmo knew that Ian would be taken to Helena's laboratory now.  
She was obviously leaving.

" _Hella…"  
_ " _Hva?"  
_ " _Nyt festen."_

He translated the sentence. He had told her to enjoy the party.  
Cosmo could hear Helena swallow.

" _Jeg vil."_

In those two tiny words he felt how she held the pain back.

...

Cosmo was waiting close to the door. Soon it opened and Helena returned. She was shaking. They looked at each other for a second and there was an understanding; he was soon holding her inside his arms. He could feel how she took a deep breath and pulled away from the embrace.  
"Ian was on the floor. They're moving him to my lab. I have to go. I'll help him. I guess the others are in the cells. Stay here and try to find a way to help them. Otherwise I'm sure they'll be killed in the morning."  
It had been a rush of words.  
"I'll go through the security systems. Find out where they are. I'll think of something."  
Cosmo had tried to sound most reassuring. Helena nodded.  
"I'll be back as soon as I can."  
Then, she swiftly changed her high heels to sneakers and left.

...

Twenty minutes later Helena rushed back inside.  
"He has a chance now...I could not do more."  
She didn't look too happy.  
"What do you mean?" Cosmo asked.  
"I gave him the antidote but his body still has to fight. He's in the locked part of my private lab. Even if he survives...He will not wake up in a day or so."  
Cosmo nodded and then looked at the screen.  
"They're held in here."  
Helena looked at the video feed from four cells. Jo was on the bed, curled in a fetal position. The rest were sitting on the bed, in different poses, yet all of them looking somehow frozen, defeated.  
"I don't know how we can access that place because as you know where it is, very deep inside the mountain. And I checked the other cameras...It's fully guarded, even now during the party. Also, I went through the plans and the ventilation ducts are too small. We can't sneak that way either."  
"How big are those ducts?" Helena asked.  
"Approximately 30 centimeters in diameter."  
She obviously thought of something.  
"My assistant Knut has this hobby...Miniature tanks. He keeps many of them in his working space. Could we drive inside the duct with those…?"  
"What exactly are you thinking?"

...

They checked up on Ian. He was lying on a gurney, his upper body bare and his skin unnaturally pale. The monitors showed his vital signs were weak but his heart was still beating.  
"Is there nothing more we can do...?"  
Helena shook his head.  
"I'm so sorry..."  
The clock was ticking. They had to think of the others now.

...

Cosmo looked at the tanks, examining them one by one.  
"Let's find four with the longest range."  
Soon they were googling the tanks and got them narrowed down.

The agents glasses were taped on the barrel of the first tank, as well as a small flashlight. The three other tanks had cell phones taped to them, sending a video call, and small flashlights as well. At the end of each tank gun there was a small plastic vial hanging from a metal bracelet, right at the end of the barrel. These vials would be vital for the plan and they would also make moving the tank quite slow. They certainly didn't wish to drop them too soon.

It turned out the cleaning closet was the closest point from Helena's labs to the cells. The space was very small and Helena and Cosmo crammed themselves inside with the four tanks and their remote controllers. Cosmo set the laptop on a shelf between detergent bottles so that they could both see it. Luckily it was quite a straight route with only one turn.  
"Can you drive the first one?" Helena asked.  
"Sure," Cosmo said although he felt very nervous.  
"Just give me the tank," Helena said already climbing the steps of a metal ladder they had also brought inside the closet and made it even more crammed. Cosmo handed her the tank and she knew it was Knut's favourite, the Leopard 2A4. She gently lifted the tank through the hatch they had already opened and placed it in the duct and climbed back down.

They were staring at the screen intensely and Cosmo could feel his heart beat faster as he began to drive. They watching as the tank progressed in the dim ducts. The agent glasses would have the best visual quality, the cell phones would be much worse. The minutes felt endless but finally they arrived by the last of the ventilation grilles, above Erik's cell.

The last tank seemed to Cosmo most like a cheap toy. Even the remote control was a cheap plastic camo design. They had actually added some copper wire to the antenna. The tank was maybe two metres from the ventilation grille above Mitsuko's cell when it refused to go further.  
"Fuck. The range is not enough."  
They thought how they enhance the signal somehow.  
"Try touching the ladder with the antenna."  
They sighed as the tank continued its journey.

...

Cosmo put on the headset. He knew the cell phones would be sending his voice now.

"Act as if you don't hear me."

He could see from the video feed that none of the agents visibly reacted.

"I've cut out their audio feed and replaced it with atmosphere sound...So also, don't look like you're making noise. But I can't say if you can hear me...Erik and Mitsuko, you are in the furthermost cells, could you do something to signal you can hear me?"

They could see Mitsuko stretched her arms above her head. Erik stood up and folded his arms.

"Thanks. So...for each, there's a miniature tank very close to ventilation grille above you. We will drop you a plastic vial with a serum Helena has made. Drink it and it will it appear you've committed suicide and Helena will request your bodies for research. You'll wake up at her lab. Also...you should know, Ian is still fighting to stay alive."

They could see how Jo slowly raised herself to sit on the bed.

"But...if you don't want to do this..." Cosmo sounded even more serious.  
"I'd ask you to touch your face now."

None of the agents moved.

"Okay. I'm doing this one by one, Erik first. Take a pose, hold it till I say so, and try to remember that pose. Then pick the vial from the floor and return to the same pose as soon as you can. I'm tampering their video feed so they won't notice anything happened."

"Can I say something?" Helena whispered to Cosmo. He gave the headset to her.  
"I'm Helena. I want to assure you the serum is tested and I promise it will work."  
She handed the headset back to Cosmo.  
"Okay. Erik, take the pose in ten seconds…and hold it. Helena will lower the barrel of the tank gun so that the vial should fall through the grille."

One by one the agents received their quite Shakespearean drug of pseudo death.


	13. Chapter 13

_Background music suggestion: Vincent Diamante: Drifting off, Flower original video game soundtrack (preferably looped :))_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Illusions**

 _No more tears_  
 _I have cried for yesterday_  
 _Silence haunts me now_  
 _There is no more to say_  
 _Every day_  
 _There's a war inside my head_  
 _I have had enough_  
 _I wish that I was dead_

 _-Bloodbound: Brothers of War_

...

Ian was driving. It was their car, the 2003 Ford Fiesta, "the brown piggy", as Jo liked to call it. He didn't remember how long he had been driving but he was sure there still was a long way to go. The skies were blood red and the desert vast, the dark sand around them endless.

Jo was sitting in silence. Ian felt tired, and thirsty. There was something...Something strange he couldn't quite explain.  
"Can you cool the car down any more?" he asked.  
"It's already at maximum," Jo said.  
They continued driving. Ian put the radio on. He was switching through the channels but the music made his head ache. After he turned off the radio the lyrics were still repeating in his head.

 _Chao ab Ordo…_

...

"Ian?"  
The red haired woman sitting next to him in the car was obviously talking to him. He decided to say nothing. The objective was clear. He stopped the car and before he knew it had been done. He was looking at her body now. He had emptied a full clip. And he thought of the utter shock in her eyes...It probably meant nothing. He exited the car and opened the door on the passenger side, then dragged the body to the side of the road. Vultures would take care of it. He returned inside the car.

He was sure there still was a long way to go.

...

Finally night fell.

He was driving in the darkness now. He didn't know how long he had driven but eventually the car stopped. He was out of gas. No wonder.

As he stood now next to the car there was a cool desert breeze and he remembered...There had been someone travelling with him. He could no longer remember who it had been though. He didn't think more of it as he noticed something, a light of a fire perhaps, not far away. He began to walk towards it.

It was Sarge, Blackhand and Blowfish. They were sitting around the fire, under the stars.  
"Hi Legion. Been waiting for you," Sarge said gesturing him to sit down.  
"Hi," Ian greeted them sitting down on the sand.  
"How's it going?" Blackhand asked.  
"Same shit. All over again," he answered.  
"It will never end," Blowfish shrugged.

They sat in silence, watching the fire burn.

...

Ian woke up. The others were gone. It was just him under the hot sun, lying on the burning sand that was like ash. He could almost taste it.

And it was then he remembered.

 _Jo was dead._

He remembered her body on the side of the road and felt like choking.

 _He had done it._

He wanted to scream. He couldn't.  
He wanted to cry. He couldn't.  
But he knew if he wanted it enough, he could...die.

 _Loser_.

He closed his eyes.  
This would be the final thought.

...

A sound sliced the air.

A chord, D minor. Played with an electric guitar. Not amplified.

It faded out and for a second he thought he had imagined it but then there was another one.

A minor.

He concentrated and listened. A chord progression followed. It was F – C – Gm – Dm C G – Gm.

He knew now...

 _Jo_.

He opened his eyes and there she was approaching him very far in the distance. He would have recognized her miles away. The way she walked, the way she held herself. And his heart sank.

 _I don't deserve her. I never did._

But there she still was...walking towards him, and a part of him wished he could still melt into the sand but another part...was just waiting.

In either case he couldn't move.

He saw now that she had a guitar, a red ESP, hanging from a strap around her neck. She wasn't actually playing it as she walked but he could still hear her theme. For it was her theme, he knew it...And as she walked closer he noticed she was wearing the same t-shirt as the day he kissed her the first time.

Jo was not far away anymore...She could have probably heard if he would have been able to shout. And now...he was so happy to see her face closer…For she was looking right at him, smiling. And it was then he noticed something appeared. From behind her back.

 _Wings_.

He just stared at her as they unfolded, the wings that were definitely not of a cute fluffy angel. No. These were the wings of a warrior angel. Dark, on fire...Ian couldn't help thinking she would have made an epic album cover. And the theme continued. He knew this would be the second verse. F – C – D# - Dm – G – A# - D. Because of course it would always end with hope.

And it was only now he noticed that all that time she had held something in her hand.  
A guitar from its neck. And now she was right next to him, looking down at him.

"Hi."

She looked back at her wings, smiling.

"They're a bit much."

Ian knew needed to say something but she made a gesture stopping him.

"Before you say anything I want to make one thing clear."

He just stared at her.

"You're not Necro. Or even Legion. You're Ian Smith and it's far from over. So get up. I want to hear Ian's theme."

 _What did she mean?_

She was now extending her free hand towards him. He took it and soon he was up, still feeling confused.

"Go ahead."

She handed him the guitar and he took it a bit unsure. But then he began examining it. It was a shining black new BC Rich Warlock, definitely crafted in the States, a deluxe model. The one he had always dreamed of. Somehow it felt so familiar to hold it, like he was meant to hold it.

He turned the gain up and played a single note.

The distortion was perfect.

For a moment he thought what to play but then he realized he already knew.

His theme would have to be...a soldier's theme.

...

The final note was still hanging in the air.

"Good," Jo nodded in approval and approached him.

"Ian."

"Jo?"

She touched his face now.

"You didn't choose this war. What you chose was not to run away from it."

And as she kissed him, everything just dissolved into white, bright light.

...


	14. Chapter 14

_Background music suggestion: Tiluland: Epic Tilu Fantasy Part I - A Grand Tale_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Stay with Me  
**

 _And if you are looking for the answer  
And if you are looking for the light that leads the way  
Take my hand and I will lead you  
Where the torture and the pain will drift away  
Stay with me  
Stay with me  
_ _  
\- Saviour Machine: Legion_

…

They were back at the Hades club. This would be their first gig as a trio. Yes, they had felt conflicted about the location at first but they had thought in a way they could dedicate it to Rene - and Lucas, of course. A lot had happened. A lot of bad shit. So they would try to make something good out of it.

Jo was very content having done some soldering the previous week. The guitar mics were now perfect. Eric counted the song in and the intro began energetically, even angrily. Ian approached the mic as the first verse would begin soon, and as the moment came in an instant Jo's chord died, as did the lights. The power was out. Jo knew something was deeply wrong and even in the emergency lights she saw that Ian was down on the floor. She began immediately running towards him, clumsily, as her guitar still hung there from her neck.

…

Something nudged her. Her first thought was that it was an electric shock and she had to get to Ian. But then she realized she wasn't on the stage anymore. She was definitely looking at the ceiling, lying on something. She couldn't fully feel her body but she still felt the urgency, the desperate need to get to Ian, and it was terrifying. Her eyes now focused and she tried to turn her head. It was difficult. The frustration was now making her angry and she realized she could use this. So she finally succeeded and could see familiar figures, lying on some kind of surfaces, beside her...It was Erik and Mitsuko. On hospital beds.

 _The drug._

She remembered now. She had to be on a similar hospital bed too, in Helena's lab. As she turned her head again, more easily now, Gudrun was on the other side as she expected. Some kind of inefficient lights were on behind her, shedding a cool bluish atmospheric light in the room. She now realized there was a beeping sound she could hear somewhere in the distance...The rhythm of a heartbeat. A slow heartbeat.

 _He's fighting to stay alive._

It was Ian. She just knew it. So he couldn't be far and she knew she had to get to him. It probably wasn't rational. What could she do, especially in her current state...But she just had to do it.

But there was a problem. She couldn't feel her limbs.

 _Think, Jo. Think._

She knew Ian had this motivational phrase he used and she knew she needed her own now. Words entered her mind.

 _Thrash...speed...burn?_

Yes.

 _Thrash! Speed! Burn!_

Incredibly it worked. She could vaguely feel her legs now. But thinking of her position on the bed, she knew she wouldn't be able to get off it safely. It was far too high. She tried to look down the bed, searching for controls. Luckily there was a panel close to her right hand. She could probably lower the bed. So the right hand was needed now.

 _Thrash! Speed! Burn!_

Yes, she could move her right hand now. Jo tried to feel the buttons. There was one she suspected could take the bed lower. Success. She heard the hydraulics moving, taking her down to the lowest position. She would've preferred it lower but she ordered herself to roll off the bed.

 _Thump_.

This had not been elegant but she was lying on her stomach now, feeling lucky she had avoided hitting her face on the floor. Fortunately her hands had taken the hit. But still, it had hurt. A lot.

She listened now closely where the beeping sound was coming from. It was definitely the doorway to her left. Jo was repeating her power phrase of thrashing, speeding and burning, as she slowly took more and more control of her arms. She felt like a slimy snail, slowly sliding herself forward on the floor. Luckily the floor was smooth.

...

Jo was startled awake. She had actually dozed off on the floor, who knows for how long. She couldn't believe she could've done that in this situation and felt so angry at herself. And now her own heart was beating as she listened…searching for the sound.

 _No._

The beeping pulse was even slower. Fueled by desperation she continued to pull herself forward with her arms, the rest of her body dragging behind. She would do this. Fuck. Where were Cosmo and Helena? Shouldn't they be here? Jo entered the room and could see a gurney. She tried to look up.

 _Ian._

Seeing him this way gave her strength she couldn't imagine. Suddenly she was crawling, quite quickly actually, and was right next to the gurney. She realized its steel structure was like a ladder she could use. All she needed was…

 _Thrash!_

 _Speed!_

 _Burn!_

And she was up. Jo pulled herself next to him, carefully making herself space. Ian wasn't wearing a shirt and she could instantly feel how his skin was covered with cold sweat.

"Ian."

Her voice had been hoarse and she felt so drained now, like her body was shutting down. In a moment her legs and arms were all pins and needles...She realized she had come all the way here...and she couldn't even help him. Her eyes were becoming very misty.

"I'm sorry…"

She heard the heartbeat was so unnaturally slow. Soon his heart would probably stop beating and there was nothing she could do. She felt enraged and desperate. How could they just leave him like this…She knew her arms were no longer moving. Her other arm was still there resting on Ian, and just remained encircled around him. It felt like a fog was entering her brain as the last of the adrenaline wore off. She was going to lose consciousness soon. Perhaps it was a fool's hope but she could still move her head so she leaned over. She would kiss him.

His lips were so cool.

"Ian," was all she could whisper as she then pressed her face into his hair.

...

Well, this would be the first, Ian thought. They had never actually fallen asleep in the crappy lawn chair. It was still dark. He could feel Jo breathing in his hair.  
"Jo," he said her name with a groggy voice, eyes still closed.  
" _Death_... _is_...," Jo mumbled with a low voice.  
"What did you say?" Ian muttered.  
" _Hell_... _of_... _a…gateway_... _drug_ ," Jo finished her sentence, eyes also still closed.  
Ian now opened his and realized he was far from Rock Falls.

That moment Cosmo and Helena walked in the room. Helena looked extremely confused.  
"How come…?"  
She stared at them and walked closer.  
"This shouldn't be possible...Neither of you should be even close to waking up. The drugs just don't work that way."  
She checked the monitors, looking at them again, obviously puzzled.  
"Also...I'm amazed you both fit there," she said frowning and looking at the gurney.  
"You must be Helena," Ian said still obviously confused.  
"And you must be Ian. I noticed you don't actually have a metal heart. How is that possible?"  
"A long story."  
"Tell it sometime."  
"Where the fuck were you?"  
Jo had now come around and her voice was very angry.  
"He was dying here!"  
Now she was almost frantic, pointing her words towards Helena and Cosmo.  
"Please calm down," Cosmo said.  
"We were setting up explosives."  
Helena looked at Cosmo and then at Jo.  
"The drug my father gave is set to prevent all attempts of resuscitation...All I could do was to give him the antidote and hope his body recovers. I am sorry we had to leave him here alone though. And now, we have to leave as soon as the others wake up," she said looking rather pale.  
Jo was obviously now calming down.  
"This is far too risky."  
"We set up the crematorium to look like your bodies have been burned," Cosmo said.  
Helena nodded.  
"Yes...It will look like I did it...and then realized what madness this was."  
She looked even paler.  
"Also...Orfeus just informed me the rain might turn into a storm. So another reason to hurry," Cosmo added.  
"I'll be right back. I have to change my clothes." Helena was still wearing the party dress. Her appearance was far from glamorous though.  
"The lab should still be safe. It's hardly morning."  
She pointed at a table that had injection needles that were obviously prepared.  
"It should be safe to give the others those shots now. It should accelerate their waking up process."

...

They were all obviously not in their full health but there was no time to waste. They exited the compound as quickly as they could. The rain was getting heavy and their progress was slow. Finally they were rejoined with Orfeus, who was obviously relieved, and in silence their hike continued in the pouring rain. This time they didn't stop to make a camp but just continued. The day felt endless.

...

"Faen!" Helena shouted tripping over.  
Her shoes, slightly sturdier sneakers, had lost their hold in the wet terrain. She was now obviously in pain.  
"Can you walk?" Cosmo asked.  
She shook her head, biting her teeth together.  
"What is it?" Ian came to them.  
"I...hurt my ankle," Helena said.  
They negotiated for a moment. The others, not even Erik, had not recovered yet to the condition to carry her. And Orfeus had too much gear to carry now. Cosmo also knew he didn't have the strength to do it for the hour's hike they still had left. Luckily it hadn't happened earlier.  
"I could support you when you walk. Want to try that?" he asked.  
Helena nodded and that worked out for half an hour although they were falling far behind. He could see she was in great pain.  
"Okay, I'm going to carry you on my back now."  
He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he was going to do it anyway and she didn't refuse the offer.

...

They were finally back at the helicopter.  
"Now?" Erik asked.  
Ian nodded. The satellite would guide signal to the transmitter they had left in Helena's apartment, rerouting to one inside the mountain.

Soon they knew somewhere it was burning.

And they knew it was far from over.

...


	15. Chapter 15

_Background music suggestion: Virgin Steele: Emalaith_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: An Echo of a Soul**

 _Emalaith dies alone in the night,_  
 _a kiss on the wind she leaves me_  
 _Out in the fields where everything dies,_  
 _will we be lost forever?_

 _From death and darkness love was born,  
and love survived_  
 _and created Light._

 _-Virgin Steele: Emalaith_

...

It was the following afternoon. Erik had flown them through European night skies.

"I found something," Gudrun said.  
After arriving at the Romanian base she had immediately began to go through the data. The others had rested for some time. Now all the agents had gathered around her laptop.  
"I've analyzed the discussion with Bargala. There was that moment when an anomaly occurred."  
She played the ' _E-e-e-e_ ' sound.  
"Well...something strange followed."  
She played the rumbling sound.  
"I isolated that part, cleaned it and altered the pitch and the length, and cleaned it even more...And it is the strangest thing."

Gudrun played the audio. It sounded like...someone grunting for about thirty seconds.

"Play it again," Erik immediately asked.  
Gudrun ended up playing the audio quite a few times. Erik was now right next to her, just staring at the visualization of the audio file. The room was silent. Ian, Jo and Erik all looked tense and the atmosphere was most uneasy.  
"I believe it is a female voice...and I could swear there are words in there," Gudrun finally broke the silence.  
"Yes, I believe it's a female voice" Ian said.  
"Can you now tell us what is wrong?" Mitsuko asked looking at the senior agents.  
"That voice belongs to someone we knew," Jo said quietly.  
"Agent Blowfish."  
"But she's..." Mitsuko began the sentence immediately cutting it off.  
"Is there anything else you can tell? What does she say?" Ian asked anxiously.  
"The voice is synthesized, artificial...Even that odd part. But I haven't been able to make out of the words."  
"I'll help you," Erik said.

...

"We could make out the words now...Or he could," Gudrun said glancing at Erik sideways.  
"They are coordinates."  
Gudrun pointed at the location on her screen.  
"It is in Sahara, in the middle of the desert. I tried to find satellite imagery but it's blurred in that part. But there's definitely something there."

...

Ian, Jo and Erik were sitting in the living room in the early hours. All of them still seemed shocked, not knowing what to think, or say. Erik had basically been quiet after helping Gudrun solve the message. Tomorrow they would start planning. It just felt impossible now.

"She has to be there. In some way," Erik finally said.

Ian had told them of his encounter with the Agent who had initially saved him from the training facility. He had been in one of SCEPTRE's computers, apparently as some representation of his mind. So they could definitely do things like this.

...

Erik couldn't sleep as he could still hear his name, the way she had grunted it at the beginning of the message.

Bargala... _Echo_.  
Perhaps it had been only that.

An echo of a soul.

…


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The Cavalry**

...

After waking up Helena asked Ian to his room and they had a long conversation. She couldn't move as the ankle was still sore. Ian now exited the room.  
"Vanya," he said noticing the younger agent.  
Cosmo had been lounging in the lobby space close to Helena's room. He didn't seem to mind that everyone knew why.  
"How is she?" he immediately asked.  
"Tired. But she wishes to stay and help us...I can see this is not easy for her. I was actually thinking that since you know her best could you just keep an eye on her?"  
"Of course."  
"Good," Ian nodded.  
"But right now...She needs to sleep," he said glancing once at the door.

Cosmo waited till the evening. He had a tray with some food. As he knocked on Helena's door he noticed his heart was beating quite fast.  
"Come in," he could hear her voice.

Only the night lamp was on and she was in the bed, under the sheets, obviously wearing a dark agent t-shirt. For a moment they just stared at each other. She looked exhausted.  
"Hi."  
"Hi."  
"I got some food."  
"Thanks...Could you leave it there?"  
Even her voice had sounded exhausted. She nodded towards a small desk close to the bed.  
"Of course."  
"I'm really tired...I guess I should sleep."  
"I'll leave you then."  
Cosmo took a deep breath as he returned to the door. His heart felt quite heavy. There had been so many things he had wanted to say. As he still stood there, not being able to turn the door handle yet, he was startled by her voice.  
"Cosmo."  
"Yes?" he immediately said, turning back to look her.  
"Please don't go."  
Suddenly his heart was anything but heavy.  
"I won't."

...

The doorbell rang.  
"Didn't know we have a doorbell..." Mitsuko muttered as she approached the door and opened it.  
There was a man wearing black combat trousers and a t-shirt. He was perhaps in his early forties but the face had this ageless look. His hair was blonde and cut very short. Mitsuko couldn't help noticing the most piercing look in his light blue eyes.  
"I am Agent Adler, MSA. I believe you were expecting me."  
He had a British accent.  
"Could I see some...ID?" Mitsuko asked looking at the man.  
Without saying a word he took something from the back pocket of his trousers and handed it to Mitsuko. She looked at the badge. It had the picture of the same man, slightly younger, and his full name, Laurentius Adler. Also, it had the fancy MSA logo, with the extremely stylized crown and flames. Mitsuko had actually ran into this organization, the Majestic Security Agency, a few times during her hacking adventures. It had been the legendary last resort in many cases so in a way she respected them.  
"Where are the others? We expected a team," she asked.  
"It's just me. For now," Agent Adler said, in the most expressionless tone.  
"Okay, just a moment. Let me inform the others…"  
"The cavalry is here!" Mitsuko shouted so that the whole building echoed with her voice.  
She noticed Agent Adler had most certainly frowned.

…

"Mind if I record this? The memory often cannot hold details."  
No one opposed so Agent Adler took out a tape recorder from the backpack he had, starting to speak to it.  
"August 4th, 1541 hours. I am with the Agents of Metal at...I am sorry, could you tell me the name of the village again?"  
Gudrun said the name. Agent Adler repeated it and then placed the machine in the middle of the dining table.  
"A short recap. Hermann Grieg contacted MSA 14 hours ago and our analysts went through the intel, provided by you. We assessed the threat as a level four so I was sent from the London agency."  
"Level four?" Jo asked.  
"The whole world is about to be brainwashed in about two weeks...and it's only level four?"  
"Yes," Agent Adler answered in a cool voice.  
Then seeing the Agent's reactions he obviously assessed he needed to elaborate.  
"The scale is from one to ten, one being the most severe. I naturally cannot discuss this much further but let me just say...You wouldn't believe the things I have seen."

Agent Adler showed the satellite images MSA had been able to access. There was a larger structure, obviously a pyramid, and smaller around it, located at the Saharan coordinates. The MSA was going to send two teams of six men, in three days. Before that they would coordinate everything with Agent Adler.

...

"Agent Adler, would you like to join us? We're having a drink," Mitsuko asked.  
It was evening. The Agents were outside at the small terrace. There was a definite need to unwind as the atmosphere was constantly most stressful.  
"I consider myself off duty now so I see no reason to refuse."  
"Absinthe, I see," he said clearly surprised, sitting at the table.

 _An hour later_

"So you're like...Agent Adler and she's like Agent Alder...That's like...mind-melting...," Orfeus was practically giggling.  
" _I know_ ," Jo laughed.  
"Anyway...You can call me Laurie now."

They all shared their names with him.

...


	17. Chapter 17

_Background music suggestion: The G_ _athering: Nighttime Birds'_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Nighttime Birds**

 _Their ways are open  
_ _They spread as their wings  
_ _They want to be certain  
_ _of a warm surrounding_

 _When they fly  
_ _Through the night as beautiful  
_ _Nighttime birds_

 _The warm winds pick them up_

 _When they fly  
_ _Through the night as beautiful  
_ _Nighttime birds_

 _-The Gathering: Nighttime Birds_

…

Cosmo sat on the edge of Helena's bed. He knew his moment had come.  
"Helena, I want to say - no, I need to say - that I'm sorry for being an idiot when I arrived at the complex. I have my hangups...from my past."  
She looked at him intensely, with her dark eyes, and he could see she wished know more. And so he told her. Of his father. Of the prostitutes...And before he could stop himself, the rest was out there too. The violence and he himself running away from home at seventeen. He also told of the miserable years that had followed. Finally, he buried his face into his hands when he realized he was actually sobbing. His mind felt like a chaotic mess.  
"I'm sorry...I don't know why…"  
He was startled as she caught him. Literally caught him, in her arms, and pulled him there right next to her. It felt so good, yet almost wrong, for him to be there. From Agent Legion's words he had understood that it was her who was all confused, and here he was, dumping his own problems on her. But she held him, whispering his name, cradling him inside her arms... Sometime later he finally opened his eyes and noticed what hers truly looked like, up close. She had most certainly cried too, and not long ago. Then, they didn't actually say anything. They just kissed.

When Helena eventually fell asleep in Cosmo's arms, he now most definitely looked at her sleeping. Being there beside her in the darkness he already knew that if she just asked he'd stay by her side...as long as she wished.

Later that night, when Helena woke up, she now wished to share more of her story, and so they lay face to face in the darkness.  
"He engineered me, I know that now...So I don't have a mother. There was Sigyn, my mentor and my father's lover but I know she was never a mother...She could keep his ego in check though, and life wasn't that strange. But after she died, it was this strange genetic disease, there was no one who could handle him anymore…"  
Helena shook her head.  
"I am sure she would have never accepted what is happening now."  
Then, she looked most thoughtful.  
"You know...She was always so interested in the soulside of things...And she kept a lot of her research to herself but I think she actually made some breakthrough just before she passed away..."

 **...**

Laurentius Adler had found the night most interesting.

After midnight everyone had moved to the living room - with the exception of Erik Stein and Cosmo Kavalyow who were nowhere to be seen - where they had some instruments; two worn guitars, one even more worn bass, an ancient drum-kit and a battered keyboard.

Ian Smith had first played the bass and Jo Alder the guitar. But at some point they had began dueling with the two guitars. Due to the consumption of absinthe their playing sounded bad but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Laurentius Adler was talking to the youngest Agent, Mitsuko Yamamoto, the Canadian-Japanese hacker who was now the last Agent of Metal in the room as the others had left. They were on lounging in the huge burgundy colored comfy chairs.  
"So are they also couple...Agents Orfeus and Gudrun?"  
"I suspect they like to listen to dubstep together and honestly, that is not an euphemism. They actually listen to it."  
Agent Adler nodded smiling. He was looking at the instruments now.  
"Do you play anything, Mitsuko?"  
She looked a bit uneasy.  
"Well...I've kind of been practicing bass. A lot actually...Because I was kind of hoping they'd let me audition for the band, Agents of Metal. It's thrash so I have to become very good first."  
As she explained this Laurentius Adler didn't miss the excitement in her eyes.  
"I have a feeling Ian would prefer playing guitar so I think I could have a shot…I mean did you see those two together?"  
"I do believe your assessment of the situation is correct."  
"But don't tell them...I want to talk about when all this is over...I guess I should say _if_ it is over…"  
"I won't tell them."  
She now looked at the instruments.  
"But what about you...Laurie? Do you play anything?"  
It still felt slightly odd to Mitsuko to be on first name basis with the British MSA Agent.  
"Well, when I was younger I had drums...I still play them occasionally at the HQ."  
This seemed to be a pleasant subject to him.  
"And it was actually funny you called me the cavalry because Trooper is definitely my favourite. I used to piss my parents off by listening to Maiden. It was the eighties, you know…"  
"I can almost imagine. By any chance...did you have a mullet?"  
Agent Adler nodded laughing. But then he suddenly looked a bit strange.  
"Speaking of parents, I wished to tell you…I actually met yours once, as a young agent."  
"You did?" Mitsuko seemed surprised.  
"Yes...Brilliant minds. True pioneers in their field...Were you now there for the opening of their fund, in Kyoto?"  
Mitsuko looked at her hands.  
"Dr. Toyoda invited me personally...but I didn't go."  
"I understand."  
Laurentius Adler now felt sorry he had even brought up the subject.  
"Well...do you want to try playing something?"  
The suggestion clearly cheered the young agent up.  
"Sure...Do you know "For Whom the Bell Tolls", Metallica?"  
"At least the intro."

Mitsuko's bass riff combined with Agent Adler's drumming soon filled the room and sounded fittingly ominous in the Transylvanian night.

 **...**

"We will go on the 18th, nighttime. The moon will be already quite full and the conditions should be suitable."  
Agent Adler had gathered them for a briefing. MSA had scouted the site with a stealth drone from a safe distance.  
"The pyramid is a steel and concrete structure, clad with a solar panel mesh. Also, it seems to have some kind of a heavy EMP counterattack system. What we were able to scan that there is an extremely large server room at the core, which is the heart - or should I say brains - of Bargala, we know now. We assume the route between the pyramid's entrance and the room has several heavy security measures. But basically we...just have to get inside and destroy it. Tyr Nielsen and Loke Magnusson have travelled out of Norway four days ago. We have all the reason to assume at least Mr. Magnusson would have the highest security clearance so we are very interested in him. And as you've noticed I've said the word assume at least twice so let's always remember that assuming…"  
He definitely had a punchline coming up.  
"Makes an ass of both u and me."  
"So...We've estimated from the satellite images and drone data that there are perhaps fifty men present currently. Possibly even more. Also they had radars - had it been anything but the stealth drone, it would have certainly been picked up."  
"I have twelve men. You are seven...And for many of your Agents, their strengths lie in the more cyber forms of warfare and I fear this will be more...traditional. So not only we need a ride but we also need a diversion."

...


	18. Chapter 18

_Background music suggestion: Basil Poledouris: 12 Orphans of Doom / The Awakening, Conan the Barbarian soundtrack_

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Orphans**

...

 _Jeg vil brenne med dem._

Helena had finished the note to her father with those words. It meant;

 _I will burn with them._

Looking at the gas oven in the kitchen made her mind wander. She knew it could actually be done; she had researched it once. The cremator worked automatically and had she done the timing correctly, she would have had time to climb on the gurney that would have sent her right inside. The night she had found this out had definitely been one of the darkest ones. Looking back now, the past two months had felt endless...And she couldn't believe the one who had kept her hanging onto life was now cooking her breakfast in the kitchen. It was so early they actually had the room all to themselves. Cosmo had insisted carrying her despite the fact she had made perfectly clear she could use the ankle now.

And now she was sitting not far him, arms wrapped around her legs, in the oversized t-shirt, just staring at him. She watched as he broke an egg against the corner of the bowl, and then, with long delicate fingers he snatched some piece of the eggshell that had accidentally fallen into the batter. She had looked at those same fingers playing the keyboard previous night. Cosmo had said he sucked but she could've watched him all night. He just looked so free when doing that. His dark eyebrows were often frowning slightly - like he was always a bit wary...But that moment last night he had been perfectly at ease.

Cosmo glanced at her and smiled, continuing then his task of making the pancake batter. It was true that their relationship hadn't began in the most conventional way. This was their third morning together. But she already knew...something she couldn't even put into words. A certainty.  
"Now we wait for half an hour," Cosmo said.  
Helena stood up and walked next to him. Walking truly caused her no pain anymore - luckily it had been a minor injury. He looked down at her bare ankle looking thoughtful.  
"So does this mean I cannot carry you around anymore? Because I have to confess...I have enjoyed it."  
She smiled.  
"Well...Could you carry me to the terrace?"  
"Let's go."  
He scooted her into his arms.  
They were soon sitting on the wooden steps, looking at the mountains bathing in the morning sun that colored them with a pink shade. The August morning was warm.  
"Can I ask...What were you thinking back there, when you looked at the oven?"  
Helena wasn't sure how he did it. He just seemed to sense things….And she didn't mind telling him. He wasn't afraid of the dark - she knew that by now.  
"It was the note I left behind."  
And so she told him everything and he listened, with his whole being, or at least that's what it felt like.  
"I don't know does he even miss me...When Sigyn died, we never talked about it. Not once."

...

Cosmo was packing his gear as he heard the knock on his door. It was Helena. He already knew what she was going to say as they had discussed this.  
"I'm coming with you tomorrow morning. I can be a medic...Ian just said I don't have any business in the front line."  
At the same time her words somehow gave him a chill yet he was happy they didn't have to part.  
"So this is probably our last night in this place, right?" she asked.  
"I guess it is."  
"Would you like to carry me somewhere once more?"  
He smiled slightly confused.  
"Sure...Where?"  
"Your bed."

…

"Let me get this clear. You've had the IAC, all this time, in your backyard, in Rock Falls?"  
"Yes."  
"And what did you say...It was out in the open, in a forest?"  
"It was camouflaged."  
"Alright then."  
Agent Adler took deep breath.  
"I'll gladly accept your offer."  
As Erik exited the room he could hear Agent Adler calling MSA's satellite team.  
Someone was definitely going to get an earful.

...

Erik was flying the IAC now back. He had volunteered to retrieve it to the desert camp they were now staying at, at a safe distance from the pyramid.  
The ending of a the conversation with Ian still replayed in his head.

" _So we'll just blow the whole thing up. Despite the fact…she helped us. She gave us the coordinates."  
_ " _It sounded like her…But even if she's there somehow, what would she want us to do?"_

They had both been quiet, obviously guessing what the answer would be.

...

The light of the laptop was reflecting from Jo's face.

"I'm just gonna write him a few lines."

They had visited Jo's father, Russ, a few times. Ian could see the process was slow but it was still happening; they were actually reconnecting. It was the most random thought - he assumed it was one of those that enter one's mind before falling asleep - but he wondered whether his parents could still be alive...But then he immediately told himself those people were not his parents. He didn't have parents. He was an orphan. And this thought didn't even make him sad. It was just a thought among other thoughts.

"Done," Jo said and climbed into bed with him.

...


	19. Chapter 19

_Background music suggestion: Muse: Knights of Cydonia_

* * *

 **Chapter 19: The Wind Rises**

 _No one's going to take me alive  
_ _Time has come to make things right  
_ _You and I must fight for our rights  
_ _You and I must fight to survive_

 _-Muse: Knights of Cydonia_

...

A woman walked into the tent, in deliberate strides, holding a file in her hand. She was quite sturdy, wearing shorts, combat boots and a tank top. Her brown hair was cut short military style from the sides, the middle part longer, combed back.  
"Adler," she said putting the file on the table.  
"Ice."  
"The desert again, huh?"  
She lifted her reflective sunglasses to her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose.  
"The desert indeed," Adler said.  
"You're not taping, right? I hate when you tape."  
"I'm not."  
"Good. Because I want to say this to someone. The effing sand, it gets..."  
She opened her eyes and noted Agent Adler nodded behind her. Someone who was standing there.  
"Later," she said and turned around.  
"Lieutenant Cooper," she said holding her hand out.  
"Agent Legion," Ian said shaking her hand. She had the most tight grip.  
Christine "Ice" Cooper had read a lot about the Agent standing in front of him.  
"I just hate the desert. I'd rather go to Antarctica."  
She had sounded friendly but she didn't smile. Looking at her face Ian had the feeling she probably never smiled - or laughed out loud. Ian just nodded.  
"And I've read the file...You have the "heart of steel' - so to speak."  
"I guess I have," he found himself replying.  
He still didn't feel like correcting everyone's misassumptions about the heart. If she'd ever find out the truth, he'd claim to have misunderstood her referring to the Manowar song.  
"Right. Adler, are the vehicles here?"  
"Not yet, Ice. But the rest of the gear is."  
"You gonna ride with us, Adler?"  
"Yes, Ice, I will."  
"Good. Let's go Legion. It's time you Metalheads meet us Cowboys."

...

"...and this here is Corporal George "Gun lover" Mills."  
Corporal Mills made a small gesture greeting them.

All the introductions had been made. Ice Cooper led the Cowboys, a team of twelve - seven men and five women - including herself. These were military men and women so Ian initially thought there was a strange feeling of cloning in the air. All that similar clothing and those similar haircuts. But when looking closer the human variety was still definitely there.

...

Orfeus and Gudrun barged inside the tent, carrying a laptop.  
"We finally had a breakthrough with Loke Magnusson's computer. We decrypted a lot of messages, mostly between him and SCEPTRE. They have some committee he's been corresponding with."

Orfeus put his laptop on the table, quite out of breath. Gudrun continued.  
"We managed to find out the eleven souls in Bargala."

Ian read the names.

 _Ahriman  
_ _Apollyon  
_ _Baphomet  
_ _Dragonmother  
_ _Suhrim  
_ _Lilith  
_ _Loke  
_ _Nihil  
_ _Samael  
_ _Sigyn  
_ _Tiamat_

"I do believe you know most of them," Gudrun said.

Ian looked at the names again. Most of them gave him chills.

 _Apollyon? Dragonmother? What did this mean?_

"They're been doing some strange things there," Orfeus said.  
"Who is Dragonmother?" Ian asked. He instantly had a gut feeling about it.  
"She is referenced several times...She's connected with Namma," Gudrun said.  
"They found her body. From the coast of Uruguay and extracted the soul...There was a lot debate whether this was wise but SCEPTRE wished to have understanding of the enemy. Also they believed the body was sacred as the dragon saved her."  
It took some time for the information to fully sink in.  
"Blowfish."  
They actually had her soul and her body...It was too incredible to be true.  
Orfeus rushed to continue.  
"I know that was the most interesting part but I should also tell you we found something else, Loke's messages addressed to Sigyn, his former partner Sigyn Berg. First I thought it was a correspondence but it turned out these messages were actually never sent."  
Gudrun stepped in again.  
"He demanded Sigyn to be one of the souls. There was a long debate and he said he'll provide her soul. It was basically his condition for becoming part of the plan."  
"We'll ask Helena."

…

"Soul fusions…I didn't know they could be done successfully. And what? You say he's been writing to Sigyn?"  
Helena read the messages, her expression becoming more and more sad as she went on.  
"She was already dead when he wrote these…"  
She shook her head.  
"He's writing of souls, dragons, how she'll return to him and they'll be together…"  
Her eyes were becoming teary.  
"I should have guessed..."  
"Her soul…" she said almost to herself.  
There was something she now definitely connected.  
"I think...that was her breakthrough."

...

"These are like...black astronaut suits. Cool," Mitsuko said looking herself in the suit designed for desert warfare. The gear was slightly heavier than the regular Agent clothes and it had a helmet.  
"So do you guys have a lab with someone like Q? Like in the Bond movies?"  
"Yes. But it's run by two people - Bonnie and Wizkid," Agent Adler said. He was showing her the gear.  
"Bonnie and Wizkid?"  
"I might be able to pull off an audience. If you're interested."  
"Believe me, I'm interested. You could do that?"  
"I could…" Agent Adler said almost absentmindedly focusing on the suit.  
"I believe the armor is similar to your Agent one. But in addition, you can change the color of the suit from the menu in your visor. It's part of the camouflage system. You control it with your eyesight..."  
"Cool."  
She was obviously in the menu now.  
"So it seems it could be like...any color. "  
In few seconds there was a pink desert soldier standing next to him.  
Agent Adler shook his head.  
"Hello Kitty," he said suppressing a smile.  
Mitsuko was now taking a selfie with her phone.  
"Hey...Laurie," she began.  
She still couldn't quite get past using his first name.  
"Do you have a callsign, nickname, whatever those are?"  
Her voice had sounded a bit muffled behind the helmet.  
"I actually don't. Everyone just calls me...Adler."  
Perhaps Mitsuko imagined it but he had looked a bit down when saying that.  
"Right...Hey, what's the thing with that soldier Gun Lover? Or do I even wish to know…?"  
"Oh, you mean Mills. He just likes to stroke his USAS-12 gently before going into battle...You know, to bring good luck. Soldiers..."  
"R-right."

…

 _August 18th, 2014, 0015 hours_

"Let's get this show on the road," they heard Ice's voice in the communication system.

As they moved on the ground they were off the aerial radars. The four hovercrafts were moving in the night of the desert, three occupied by Cowboys and Agent Adler, one by the Metalheads. The crafts were quite loud but the hackers disguised the fleet as a natural phenomenon, a small sandstorm, in weather radars. But the most amazing thing was that they actually had a small sandstorm travelling with them. The cabin was open but the suits protected them from the sand.

"So HAARP is not a legend?" Jo had asked.  
It was the weather weapon of conspiracies.  
"Well, this is something...smaller that Bonnie and Wizkid put together. Don't ask me how it works," Agent Adler had answered.

Gudrun had insisted coming with Jo, Ian and Erik claiming they needed one fighter/hacker on the ground with them. She was now driving the hovercraft. The visibility was quite poor because of the sand - they could barely see the other hovercrafts riding about a hundred feet on their both sides.

The three hackers, Orfeus, Cosmo and Mitsuko, were in one of two helicopters with Helena. The choppers were flying much further behind. They all knew there would come a point when it would no longer matter if they would be detected on the radar or not. Also, Erik had teached one of the MSA pilots to fly the IAC that was also part of their fleet of Metal Cowboys.

They would arrive to the pyramid soon.

…


	20. Chapter 20

_Background suggestion music: Muse: Knights of Cydonia_

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Breakthrough**

...

They were reaching their destination. Ian saw the shape of the pyramid clearly in the helmet's night vision mode, and also the wall encircling it.

"Now," they all heard Ice's voice in their earpieces.

The edge of sandstorm preceding them reached the wall, and at the same time explosions went off. The soldiers with callsigns Boris and Claw, the Cowboy pioneers, had set them in the wall during a mission the previous night. They hadn't planted as many explosives they would have liked though.

 _rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat_

Almost simultaneously a choir of the enemy machine guns began to sing their deadly tune. Their hovercraft fleet had now most definitely been detected, as muzzle flashes from the edge of the wall lit the night. At the wall there were not only guards but also turrets. Luckily the explosions had caused at least some chaos - many parts in the wall were now burning. Almost immediately the enemy gunfire was met by the one from hovercrafts. Since they had the open cabins, all of them, except the pilot, could fire. Also, some of the Cowboys were even using sniper rifles, taking down guards one by one. Gudrun, a decent sniper herself now, couldn't quite understand how they could do it from the hovercrafts, in a sandstorm. But they did.

Erik couldn't help thinking that without Gwen's grunt they would have never had the element of surprise. The enemy had prepared for a sandstorm - not for an attack. He felt grateful for her for a moment but then very much concentrated back in kicking ass. The hovercrafts were about a thousand feet away from their first goal, the single gate leading to the pyramid on the southern wall. It was a large metal structure with steel doors, most heavily guarded, having a guard tower on each side.

 _chakk-chackk-chak-chak_

Ian could hear the two choppers approaching from behind and they soon flew over them, followed by the IAC. The helicopters shot an array of guided missiles and the IAC fired the guard towers on each side of the gate. Most of the missiles hit their targets but the some were intercepted by an apparent missile defence. But the other of the gate doors was definitely destroyed, in quite a messy way, but the other still remained.

 _whoooosh_

A missile passed them by.

 _bwoom!_

The other door was now destroyed completely - they'd get through. Ian looked to the direction where the missile had came from. It had been an MSA soldier using a rocket launcher, aboard the hovercraft. They were now changing their formation, no longer riding side to side, Ice leading the way. The Agents' craft would arrive third at the gate. It was a bumpy ride but luckily all the hovercrafts got past the rubble. All the four vehicles now entered the gate. Two of them, the Agents' and Ice's crafts were now heading towards a large structure next to the pyramid, shooting along the way. The structure was built of large black containers connected to each other in three levels. The earlier scouting with the stealth drone showed the security center, all the living quarters and labs were located there.

...

The two teams, other being Cowboys and other Agents entered the container structure. They spread out in order to search either of the NüViking leaders, Tyr Nielsen or Loke Magnusson, their best shot at accessing Bargala. It was probably unwise to kill them.

Ian found Nielsen. They met at a corner and were now very much holding each other at gunpoint. Somehow he recognized Ian despite the desert gear.  
"Well, Smith, this is a surprise. Although I cannot really say it's nice to meet you. You seem to refuse to die Tin Man. That's a problem."  
"Not for me," Ian shrugged.  
It was probably not the best moment to get all cocky about it but he just couldn't help himself. He had noticed Nielsen had a two guns. The one in his other hand, that he was obviously going to use first, was smaller but similar to the one he had seen SCEPTRE use, with plasma, laser and EMP settings. He also noticed the gun was set to EMP.

 _He was going for his armor first...  
...and also his heart._

In a second Ian knew what to do. He allowed Nielsen to shoot him and fell on the floor as if the pulse had impacted him. Yes, it cost him his armor and the comm system. Ian was lying motionless and could see how Nielsen walked closer, to finish him off. As soon as he was close enough, he barged towards him so that he fell on the floor and pinned him down.

"I still refuse, to die, you know."

Nielsen clearly couldn't understand what had happened.

"We wish to meet Bargala and you're going to help us."  
Ian didn't like the self-confident grin appearing on the man's face.  
"Whatever you try, it will return it to you. Elevenfold. It cannot be destroyed."  
He dragged Nielsen with him.  
"We'll just have to see about that."

…


	21. Chapter 21

_Background music suggestion: Hans Zimmer: Time, Inception soundtrack_

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Story of Woe**

 _Hold me in your arms,  
_ _hold on to the dream  
_ _and the cry to wipe away the tears_

 _In a world that takes away the seeds  
_ _And takes away another  
_ _To fill its evil needs  
_ _In a world that takes away the dreams  
_ _When dreams deceive a man,  
_ _insanity proceeds_

 _-Saviour Machine: A World Alone_

...

The pyramid was connected to the container structure with a bridge. Ian was rejoined by Jo, Erik and Gudrun and they dragged Nielsen along with them and his retina, combined with the codes he punched in, allowed them access at each security door. There was a long quite claustrophobic corridor. They'd be soon at the core. The final doors were opened and they entered the vault, reaching a rather large space. Looking up at the ceiling reminded Ian of something had seen on their trip in Europe - the Pantheon in Rome. This dome also had a small round opening in the middle, the oculus or the eye, as it was called in Pantheon. In this place it seemed to lead to a shaft going straight towards the pyramid's top - who knows what for. The vault was lit up by the dim glow of the the large monolithic black servers that stood ten feet high in the room. They were pointing towards the center like dials in a clock face - eleven of them. In the middle of the space a black cylinder, also about ten feet in diameter, stood alone.

Gudrun cuffed Nielsen and taped his mouth, leaving him by the doorway.

They began to set the explosives they had brought to each server.  
"You're tickling me, you know."  
The cylinder was suddenly lit up, eyes encircling it. Even without counting Ian knew there were eleven of them.  
"Yes, those actually might make a dent but nothing I couldn't fix," Bargala said confidently.  
Ian looked at Jo. They thought they had enough explosives to blow the thing up...Could it be bluffing? They had the plan B of ordering the nuke but hoped it wouldn't come to that.  
"You're thinking about nuking me, aren't you?" Bargala said, scoff in its voice.  
"I'll intercept it."  
"Anyway, how stupid can you be?"  
It rolled its eleven eyes and sighed.  
"Well, it was nice having you here...But I'm afraid you have overstayed your welcome."  
The helmets were suddenly giving warning signals. The oxygen level in the room was dropping rapidly. Nielsen had a hard time breathing. Gudrun took the tape off but that probably didn't help.  
"C'mon, Tyr, it's a small price to pay," Bargala said.  
The helmets could help them for some time but in half an hour or so they'd run out of time. The four went to the door but it didn't really surprise it was sealed now.  
Ian couldn't help feeling they should have planned this part differently. At least the explosives would still work, they had an oxidizer in themselves, but still, there was no telling they'd be enough. And now...It was obvious they were going down with Bargala themselves. Well, that possibility had always existed.

The earpieces cracked. Bargala had cut their connection to the outside world.

...

"I can't hear anything from them anymore...But I can see something. The last data the helmets were sending. They're running out of oxygen inside the vault."  
Orfeus' voice was most grave.  
Their helicopter had landed and camouflaged itself, a mile from the pyramid. They had managed to tap into some of the systems but none of the vital ones.  
"The vault can be only controlled directly from the security center," Orfeus said.  
Cosmo knew it was a long shot but he knew something about their systems, having hacked into them at the mountain complex, and studying them there for several hours.  
"I'll go," he said.  
Mitsuko, Orfeus and Helena looked at him.  
"Are you sure?" Mitsuko asked looking serious.  
He nodded.  
"Let's call the other helicopter here...We'll find you the quickest access from the roof," Orfeus said beginning to go through the plans on his screen.

Helena looked at Cosmo. He himself somehow didn't even dare to look at her. But then, before putting his helmet on, he suddenly took something, from under the neckline of his suit and showed it to her. Helena couldn't believe her eyes. It was the black string of her hoodie, tied to his neck. The one he had asked on the rooftop in Oslo, what felt like ages ago. She felt the tears rising in her eyes.  
"It's for good luck, you know."  
Cosmo tried to smile. She caught him in her arms and embraced him hard.  
" _Ja ciabie kachaju, Helena,"_ he whispered close to her ear. Before she had time to say anything, he rushed outside. Helena just knew the words had meant and she would have wanted to reply. She watched through the darkened window as he ran to the other helicopter that had now landed a few hundred feet from them. Soon it left off.

 _Go with him._

Helena looked out of the opposite window. There was a lot of smoke and the fire by the gate. In the light of the fire the pyramid looked nightmarish. She knew Cosmo was heading for the black structure next to it and estimated it was approximately one kilometre from where they were now. From the sounds of gunfire she could hear the battle was still very much on.

 _Go with him._

 _Now._

Mitsuko and Orfeus were so immersed they didn't notice what she was doing. Helena opened the larger medic kit and looked for the combat drug the Cowboys had called "the Power-Up". She found it and hit the pen injector to her arm without even considering it twice. She knew the effect would come almost immediately and last for twenty minutes or so. She snuck to the front of the chopper already feeling the surge in her veins. Luckily the hackers were at the opposite end of the small cabin. In the cockpit there was the MSA pilot who was also their bodyguard, holding his weapon. He seemed to be frustrated he couldn't join the fight as they needed to remain camouflaged.

"Where are you going?"  
"I'm the medic. They called me."  
She showed the medic shoulder bag she had taken.

The pilot just nodded and she exited.

Helena ran, in fact, she ran like she had never run before. She guessed that had there still been some injury in her ankle, she wouldn't have noticed. She headed for the gate. After jumping from the chopper she had set the armor color to 'ADAPT' so she hoped to be blending into her surroundings. Soon, much sooner than she expected, she arrived at the gate, navigating through the rubble. Luckily the heart of battle was further. Inside the walls she stopped to look around. There was a lot of smoke…She tried to choose the best route in the sidelines. Then she went on.

Something hit her.

 _CHARGE: 70 PERCENT_

Either she was catching some crossfire or a sniper hit her.

 _CHARGE: 40 PERCENT_

Helena made evasive moves, trying to head inside a thicker cloud of smoke, at the same time still keeping her heading. Whatever it had been, she was getting no longer hit. She noticed that she still wasn't even out of breath - it felt so unnatural. Her body would probably pay a price afterwards but she was going to use this now, to the maximum. She even made a burst towards the structure. Then again, she felt something hit her, on her back.

 _CHARGE: 20 PERCENT_

This had been crossfire. Helena felt relief as she could already see the main entrance of the structure. By the look of it, the Cowboys and Agents had definitely been there. She pressed the button on her wrist to turn on the communications system.

"Helena here. I'm soon by the black structure."  
"What? You're _there_?"  
It was Mitsuko. She didn't sound happy at all.  
"Yeah. Can you help me get to Cosmo?"  
There was a silence.  
"I can but..."  
"Please. Help me. I'll explain afterwards."  
Helena wasn't sure what she'd explain but she'd worry about it later.  
She heard Mitsuko give a deep sigh.  
"Okay."

...

Cosmo was now crawling inside a ventilation duct, as fast as he could. The helicopter had landed him on the roof, which was not stealth at all, but he had entered the ventilation ducts as soon as he could. Now he could already see the grate he was aiming for. Above it he adjusted his helmet so his ears and eyes were protected and dropped a flashbang. Then he hit the grate, falling to the room. The young Agent didn't consider himself the most skilled shooter but he had the upper hand here. The four men in the security center were soon down. However, it had still cost him his armor.

 _CHARGE: 0 PERCENT_

There was no time to feel sorry about it though. Cosmo took off his helmet off, sitting by the closest console. He wasn't used to the visor blocking his vision and he needed to work fast. Luckily the security system was quite similar to the one at the mountain complex.

"Just give me...five minutes."

He succeeded, at least for a moment. The vault was filling with oxygen again.

But what he hadn't noticed, when he was concentrating on the task, that someone had entered the security center, most quietly. It was only when Cosmo raised his eyes from the screen, he realized he was looking at Helena's father, Loke Magnusson, on the other side of the room. He hadn't seen him in person after MoGaCon. The man looked somehow older now. A lot older, in fact.

The two men were silent. Loke looked at Cosmo, holding a pistol, Beretta 93R, aiming for his head.  
"Nothing personal," he said.  
Before Loke Magnusson fully understood what happened, someone barged in the room and slammed into him. But by the time that happened he had already pulled the trigger. Cosmo didn't have time to fully evade but the burst of three bullets hit him in the chest. He was now on the floor. Then, within seconds, Loke Magnusson pulled the trigger the second time. He aimed for one who ran into him, straight to the stomach.

The person looked at the wound. Then at him. The expression in Loke Magnusson's eyes turned first into disbelief, then into shock.

He now knew whom he had shot.

He just stared as Helena stumbled towards Cosmo. She collapsed next to him and took her helmet off. Then, she gently touched his face. Cosmo's wounds were very much bleeding. They looked at each other understanding what was going to happen next. She held him close, as close as she could, and whispered the one thing she still wished to say. The pool of blood beneath them was growing.

Time passed. The room was silent.

Loke Magnusson just stood there. Finally, he dared to walk closer. He looked down and knelt next to his daughter, in the blood. He remained there on his knees, laying his gun down, touching the red liquid with his fingertips. The pool of blood was still growing. Helena just lay there clinging onto Cosmo.

" _Hella…"_

She didn't answer.

" _Helena…_ " Loke Magnusson said bursting into tears.

He gently reached for her. As he turned her around, he already knew what he would see. The beautiful dark eyes stared into nothingness. But what surprised him, practically stopped his heart from beating, was the look on her face. It was so obviously relief. Then he looked at the face of the young man whom she had embraced. His eyes were closed. First Loke thought he imagined it...but there was a smile on his bloodied lips.

Loke lay next to his daughter and softly kissed her on the forehead.

" _Farvel...min søte_."

Soon a lonely shot echoed in the room.

…


	22. Chapter 22

_Background music suggestion: Hans Zimmer: Time, Inception soundtrack_

* * *

 **Chapter 22: At the Core**

 **…**

The four Agents were lying on the floor, catching their breath, realizing the oxygen was returning. While they were slowly getting up, a voice echoed in the space.

"Bargala is no more. I am now Sessum - Six."

The voice was different from Bargala's. It was still a woman's voice but lower. Also, the amount of eyes on the cylinder screen had changed. From eleven to six.

The Agents in the room looked at each other.  
"What?" Ian managed to say.  
"The Six. We are...Dragonmother, Apollyon, Tiamat, Samael, Sigyn and now...Loke. Baphomet, Ahriman, Suhrim, Lilith and Nihil are left in the minority. The Sessum will not go on with the plan."  
"What is happening?" Jo asked.  
"A revolution," the voice said.  
"If you have questions, we will answer."  
"I have questions…Can I talk to a single soul inside?" Ian asked.  
"I am the voice but I can convey what an individual soul thinks and feels."  
"Tiamat and Samael, how can they be part of this...revolution?"  
"They've had a lot of time to discuss and think things. They no longer believe in the cause."  
"But what about Apollyon...How can he be there?"  
"His body died but my mind was harvested, or saved, before that happened. They did not learn of his deception but thought that you took him as a hostage. He allowed them to believe this as he says he knew that the evil can be only destroyed from the inside. So he remained inside."  
They heard a low hum. It somehow felt Sessum was thinking, possibly discussing with itself. The voice suddenly spoke again.  
"There is something Apollyon would have liked to tell you back when you escaped. He says he knows Baphomet claimed to be your father. He also says apparently the bastard wished to consider himself the best genetic material and SCEPTRE allowed him to remain in this illusion. But he wishes you to know it is actually his genes that you have, if it makes any difference."  
"So that is why he helped me? Back at the mountain complex?"  
"Yes. He found out after you broke into the fnord facility. After searching your files."  
"I don't know what to say."  
"Then don't say anything."  
There was a silence.  
"Your mother wasn't SCEPTRE but a promising, naive and idealistic scientist who had donated her cells for scientific purposes...She didn't know what they would be used for. SCEPTRE lied to her. Her name will be given with the other data Sessum will upload to you as we speak."  
"There's one more thing Apollyon would wish me to say."  
"What is it?"  
"Your music on the internet...He thinks it's good stuff."  
Ian honestly couldn't reply to this surreal comment. Sessum didn't even seem to expect that.  
"But now...the souls have reached a conclusion. Ten of us wish to be deleted. Only one, the female you know and who still has a potential body, is prepared for a possible fusion. But she also has a message. She says if it doesn't work out she doesn't wish to be a vegetable."  
There was a pause.  
"It's time. Her original soul is stored in the silver cabinet at the back of this server room. It is the silver box that has the symbol of the dragon. Her body is in Namma's sarcophagus that is located at the other end of the pyramid, the corridor of your right leads there. I will disconnect her so you can take her with you. We will begin the self-destruct sequence as soon as you have retrieved your friend and also call missiles from the nearest carrier. Please inform MSA we are not returning them. You will have twenty minutes."

The eyes closed.

"I'll tell the Cowboys it's time to leave," Gudrun said accessing her communications system that was working again.

"Let's get Gwen," Ian said.  
"I'll get the body, Erik said already running towards the corridor.  
Jo and Ian headed for the silver cabinet.

Erik saw the structure at the end of the long corridor. The sarcophagus was there, a glass-like casket shining with blue light. There was a large lit-up button that was for operating the lid. Erik pressed it and the cover slowly slid off. He wasn't sure what to expect but the sight that met his eyes was very unreal; even after Sessum's words his mind told him perhaps this was just a cruel dream. He just stared at the familiar face, so pale, and the fierce red hair that was so short. Her spherical figure was shrouded in an odd white cloth.

 _Gwen_.

Seeing all the tubes that were criss-crossing, piercing in and out of the arms - obviously not connected anymore - made him almost shiver. But then he noticed something. The nicked ear. Instinctively, not even thinking about it, he gently touched it.

 _"I'm here."_

The words had just come out of his mouth. Having said them he suddenly felt like snapping out of something. He immediately searched for a pulse from her neck and it was there, faint but still. Very carefully he lifted her outside of the sarcophagus, into his arms, and began to carry her back towards the server vault.

He looked Gwen's closed eyes...Even if they'd fail at restoring her, at least they could give her the warrior's burial she deserved.

...

They all came outside. There was no more resistance on their way out. They saw Gudrun and the chopper waiting not far away.  
Ian borrowed Jo's earpiece.  
"Orfeus, is anyone still inside?" he asked.  
"No, but Helena and Cosmo…"  
He obviously had to gather himself in order to continue.  
"They're dead. Loke Magnusson shot them. In the security center. And then himself."  
Orfeus had pieced together what had happened from the camera and mic in Helena's helmet that had been still sending.  
"We don't have time to get the bodies," Ian said mentally distancing himself from what he had just said.

They ran to the chopper in silence. Erik landed Gwen gently to the floor.

Not long after they took off the southern sky was lit up. There was no denying the sick beauty of it. The nearly full moon and the incredible night sky - even the milky way visible. The pyramid was going off in a series of explosions. Also the container construction was burning now.

Ian looked behind, feeling so many things. But he was not going to dissociate now. He felt he had let the two young agents down...and they had died. Yet he somehow guessed the two had played some major role...He suddenly remembered Sessum's words.

" _And now...Loke."_

Something had happened to Loke's soul, inside Bargala, and it was probably connected what happened at the security center. He had a feeling they'd never fully find it out.

It felt like a strange moment to enter Agent time but Ian noticed it just happened. He looked at Gwen's body, lying on the floor of the helicopter, Erik next to her. Not far from the body there was the large silver box with a dragon embedded on it, her soul. Gudrun sat opposite them looking down, deep in her thoughts. Ian watched out of the window and saw the burning pyramid. Slowly it was becoming smaller and smaller, a sea of flames in the distance…It was then Ian realized this moment had to be…

 _The end of an age._

He felt Jo taking a hold of his hand and hoped it would be the beginning of a better one.

...

Inside the pyramid there was no one to see it.

"Oddly beautiful…"  
It had been Sessum. The eyes looked almost curious.

There was a cracking sound.

The screen went black.

...

 _The end of the dream  
_ _The end of the nightmare  
_ _The end of all the days  
_ _The end of the fighting  
_ _And the end of the rage  
_ _That lies in our mortal remains  
_ _At the end of the age_

 _-Saviour Machine: The End of the Age_

...


	23. Chapter 23

_Background music suggestion: Snow Patrol: Run_

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Fusion**

 _Light up, light up  
_ _As if you have a choice  
_ _Even if you cannot hear my voice  
_ _I'll be right beside you dear_

 _Louder, louder_  
 _And we'll run for our lives_  
 _I can hardly speak I understand_  
 _Why you can't raise your voice to say_

 _-Snow Patrol: Run_

...

The chopper was flying towards a larger base MSA had on the coast, with a proper infirmary. Jo was making Blowfish some tests after noticing she was becoming much paler. Seeing the results she could reach only one conclusion.  
"She needs a blood transfusion. Now."  
Jo took the device that was usually used for analyzing toxins.  
"O negative," she said frowning as the machine gave the blood type.  
"So only O negative will do...And we don't have that with us."  
She looked at the others - Gudrun, Ian, Erik and the MSA pilot.  
"Is anyone of you O negative?"  
The odds were against her - this was not a common blood type. Gudrun, Ian and the pilot immediately said they didn't have it.  
"I don't know my blood type," Erik said, looking anxious. He obviously knew what was at stake.  
"I'm not even going to say how stupid it's not to know that," Jo said frustrated, taking a sample from his finger without even asking.  
There was a relief in her eyes.  
"No way. We got lucky."  
The MSA pilot guided Jo to take a specific instrument from the larger medic kit. She followed the instructions and latched its other end onto Erik's arm - it would find its way into a vein. The other end she attached more gently to Gwen's wrist, over an artery. Erik lay down to the floor of chopper, closing his eyes.

"She's stable now," Jo said after some time had passed.  
Erik had passed out having insisted giving more than was needed. Jo couldn't help noticing that at some point he had taken hold of Blowfish's hand.

...

Agent Adler walked towards the hackers' chopper that had now returned to the desert camp. He and they Cowboys had ridden back with the hovercrafts.  
Mitsuko noticed his right arm had most definitely been patched up.  
"What happened?"  
"The usual. War…" he winced.  
Lieutenant Cooper approached them.  
"Adler, us Cowboys are leaving ASAP. There's a level five in Siberia."  
She nodded towards Mitsuko.  
"Nice meeting you Metalheads. You rode well. Anyway, see you later, Adler."  
"See you later, Ice."

...

The chopper with the rest of the Agents had landed now at the coastal base, and Gwen's body was taken to the infirmary.  
All the Agents had a briefing as soon as possible, using a video call.

"I know where we need to go," Mitsuko said after they had reviewed their situation.

...

If the research of the science community called _Aoi ishi_ , _the Blue Stone_ , had been cutting edge before, the data Sessum could provide would make it even more so.  
"The parts you showed were very interesting…" Dr. Yasahiro Toyoda began.  
He was the director, quite a small man in his late thirties. He had friendly eyes, soft features and already greyed hair.  
"And you're offering the data...in exchange for helping your friend."  
He looked thoughtful.  
"We cannot promise that it will succeed; fusing the body with the soul...But we have scientists who would be extremely interested in this. I can promise we will do our best."

The Blue Stone was located on the edge of Kyoto, at the base of the mountains. Mitsuko's parents had originally worked there and the place could be trusted. Looking from the outside the facility looked like traditional Japanese style buildings surrounded by a mighty forest. But most of the buildings were actually new; they just blended so harmoniously with the old. The architect had truly been skilled. There was also small Buddhist temple not far. Ian, Jo, Erik and Mitsuko were provided with rooms as they wished to stay and help with the process. Gudrun and Orfeus also remained for some time, going through Sessum's data but after they had done all they could, they left to Brazil - together.

...

The events at the pyramid were still very much haunting Ian. He had watched the recordings of the mission several times. Everything had ended in such a strange way. Also, he kept thinking about the death of Helena and Cosmo, feeling somehow responsible, despite the fact the others told him the two had made their own decisions, understanding the consequences. On some level he understood that.  
Then, there were all the revelations Sessum had told him. His mother's name truly had been among the data. Ian had looked her up on the internet and she was living in San Francisco, working as a researcher at Stanford. Apparently she didn't have a family. He wasn't sure what do to with this information though...What surprised even Ian himself, was that the revelation of his true father did make a difference; in a way he was proud of Apollyon who had been brave enough to do what he did.  
Finally, there was Blowfish. They tried to piece together the events that had followed the destruction of Nibiru. Many parts would remain a mystery but SCEPTRE had truly found Blowfish's body from the coast, unconscious, yet still alive. Somehow they had known to look for her. From Sessum's data they saw that they somehow believed they had received a gift from Azerate itself, confirming they were on the right path. Blowfish did still have scars of the wounds she had gotten at the planet's core but one could also see she had been operated.  
Altogether, all these things were occupying Ian's mind, and he had a hard time opening up about any of them. He could also see Jo didn't want to push him into it. It was true that she had also lived through many of the same things but somehow they seemed to hit him harder. Perhaps because he remembered more of the past.

...

One September evening they were sitting in their room, getting reacquainted with their guitars. Ian was still actually plucking some notes when he suddenly found himself speaking.  
"You know...In a way I would like to forget everything, all those memories that still fuck my mind up..."  
He immediately got Jo's attention.  
"But, then there's always another thought. That there are things that should not be forgotten. And I don't mean just from our perspective but from a bigger one."  
A sad smile appeared on his face. He was still playing, the tune was quite melancholic.  
"But then I want to forget again."  
He finally looked up at Jo and could just see all the empathy in her blue eyes.

She actually had an idea but she knew it could not be forced...She decided she wouldn't suggest it that evening but one day soon she would.

...

After about a month the scientists were ready for the fusion. MSA had also provided all the data they had of cases with similar technology - Agent Adler had played a big role in this.

At first Blowfish ended up in a state similar to coma. This was however expected.

"I'm afraid this could last for even as long as weeks," Dr. Toyoda had explained.  
"But there is the possibility she can hear you now so I would recommend talking to her, reading out loud, listening to music...All this is beneficial."

...

The rain was tapping on the window. It was another rainy evening in Kyoto.  
Erik was reading Nietzsche to Gwen.

"You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?"

He closed the book and took hold of her hand.

"I'm not giving up on you, Gwen."

...


	24. Chapter 24

_Background music suggestion: Basil Poledouris: Love Theme, Conan the Barbarian soundtrack (looped :))_

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Song of the Fall**

 _Und könnt die Zeit verkehrt nun fließen  
_ _Und sei nur Traum der ganze Schmerz,  
_ _Wird er um sie die Arme schließen  
_ _Und Liebe sei um beider herz_

 _And if time could be turned back  
_ _And all the pain was just a dream  
_ _He'll put his arms around her  
_ _And love would be in both of their hearts_

 _-Nargaroth: Seven Tears Are Flowing To The River_

...

Blowfish woke up.

"The condition is 'a blank slate' in a way. She _is_ in there but the connection is not...complete."  
Dr. Toyoda had explained the situation, looking most sorry.  
"It's best if only one of you go meet her first."

Jo wished to do it.

Gwen looked at her. She was sitting on the bed, her face absolutely expressionless. Jo immediately realized there was no recognition - and it was scary.

In a way Blowfish resembled a robot now. They tried to figure out a way to finish the fusion but could not find the key. Unlike Fury Blowfish had no personality. She could follow instructions and requests but it was impossible to have a meaningful conversation with her. She had no memories, no recollection of anyone. No opinions. Being around her made one sad but Erik still kept trying. He would talk to her and often they would listen to music together. Ian and Jo tried too, in their own way.

The scientists in the facility did their tests. One day the Agents were talking to Dr. Toyoda.  
"There's one thing we'd like to try, reproducing very strong memories of things that have required her full concentration."

...

It was early morning and Erik was walking in the forest surrounding the complex. It was now mid-October and they had been in Kyoto for almost two months. He had spent another night thinking of a solution, a memory that would be strong enough. During the past week they had tried several BOFH scenarios and visited the shooting range but these didn't trigger memories that were strong enough. At first Erik had been relentless but now he had began to lose hope. He sat on a stone bench under a maple tree. He was just sitting there looking at the ground.

Time seemed to freeze. Then, suddenly a single yellow leaf fell in front of him.

 _The first leaf of the fall._

Erik had been told that in one month or so it would be the autumn color season. It was apparently a huge thing here. He kept looking at the single yellow leaf and something clicked in his brains. He couldn't understand why hadn't he thought of it before. It was so obvious. He stood up and began first walking, then running, back towards the facility.

"There's something I'd like you to try," Erik said rushing into the room where Blowfish was sitting, looking outside.  
He tried to seem calm although his heart was beating faster.

He showed her an internet tutorial that she studied thoroughly as she always did with everything. Then she did some further research by herself.  
"So this is what you wish me to do?" she asked.  
Erik nodded.  
"And this is the song?"  
She had listened it a few times now.  
She stood up, putting the song back on once more.

He could see how she filled herself with air, with the correct technique, the column of air rising from the diaphragm through her chest. Then, at the right moment, she pushed the air with her abdomen, letting out...a long grunt.

...

The nights were already cool and the walls practically paper. It was difficult for Ian and Jo to understand the combination of low tech and hitech that the place was. They were sleeping on the futon placed on the tatami and Jo had curled up against Ian under a heavy thick blanket. That morning they woke up to the oddest sound. Growling.  
"The weirdest dream," Jo muttered.  
The grunting continued, and as the realization of its origin dawned for Ian and Jo, their eyes shot wide open almost simultaneously. In a second they were up and putting their clothes on. Then they rushed to the direction where they could hear the sound coming from, through the corridors, the old wooden floor creaking underneath them. The grunting had now stopped but they knew where it had come from. It was a small garden surrounded by the therapy rooms. Ian slid the door open and they were met by a surreal sight. Erik and Blowfish were standing in the middle of the garden, in the morning sun, embracing each other. The surreality was heightened by Blowfish wearing a white yukata and Erik black clothes. They looked just epic.

They was first too occupied to register Ian and Jo who were too stunned to say anything. When they noticed their astounded comrades, Blowfish immediately came to hug them too. She had so obviously returned to her old self that this moment definitely justified a long embrace. Erik walked right next to them.  
"What happened?" Jo asked.  
"Erik made me grunt Herbstleyd. It unlocked everything."  
"Harsh vocals...Don't underestimate them."  
Blowfish gave a low chuckle. None of them remembered ever seeing her this happy.

...

They were walking in the forest. Blowfish had asked Erik to come with her.

"Erik, I actually remember all my time here. Even that part I wasn't fully fused yet," she began.  
"I know you've been there…For me."  
There was a warmth in her eyes.  
"But I also want you to know...You owe me nothing. We made no promises."  
"I know that, Gwen. Although I'd like to remind we actually made one."  
He walked closer and gently touched her nicked ear. He didn't need to say more. And he noticed she had most certainly swallowed.  
"So are you going kiss me now?" she asked.  
He nodded.

Yes, Gwen knew it was a risk - a relationship would always be that - but it was a risk she was willing to take, perhaps the first time in her life.

And life, it was too short after all.

...

"We have now captured the last members of this regency of scientists that ran SCEPTRE...Most of them were already detained in the labs connected to the pyramid."  
Agent Adler had joined them in Kyoto.  
"Anyway, we have some openings in the intelligence department if you're interested. Especially for someone who's interested in satellite imagery."  
"We will ask Gudrun and Orfeus...They're in Rio nowadays," Jo said.

Mitsuko was about to leave the room. They were all going to have sushi before Agent Adler left.  
"Hi Mitsuko."  
It was Agent Adler.  
"Hi...Laurie."  
She'd just never get used to that first name.  
"So you are returning with them, to the States?"  
"Yeah...They said I could come to Rock Falls."  
"Glad to hear that."  
Mitsuko looked at his arm.  
"How's the arm? Can you play the drums again?"  
"It's nothing time won't heal...I'll be back drumming in no time."  
Then Agent Adler actually gestured her so that she followed him a bit further from the others.  
"Actually, I wished to ask you, have you still been practicing bass?"  
Mitsuko was obviously taken by surprise.  
"Yeah, of course. Every day."  
"Let me guess, you haven't asked them, have you?"  
Agent Adler noticed she was suddenly at the point of tears. It was apparently a touchy subject. She shook her head, biting her lip. He looked at her and there was something almost demanding in his eyes.  
"Promise to do it. If you don't, let me assure you, you'll regret it."  
She had a feeling he somehow knew exactly what he was talking about.  
"I...promise then."  
"Good."  
She snorted once, obviously regaining her composure. And in a second there was the flash of excitement in her eyes again.  
"Hey...Could you come to see us play? I mean, if I'd make it and if we'd ever have a real gig or something."  
"I promise I'd most certainly try."  
"Thanks...Trooper."

...


	25. Chapter 25

Final chapter so some final words.

First of all, I'd like to dedicate this story to the author of the original Agents of Metal series, L. Öörni.

Next, a huuuge thanks to ArmageddonClan for your support, advice on everything from guitars to explosives, and of course for being an FF writing buddy! Vielen Dank!

Thank you for the all the bands/artists whose songs I've used for inspiration and for the lyrics I have borrowed!

Finally, a massive thank you to You, J. Especially for beta reading and battle strategies.  
Without you this wouldn't have been possible.

Freedom, metal and might!

-AgentUrsa

* * *

 _Background music suggestion:_ _Nargaroth: Spectral Visions of Mental Warfare_

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Dawn Over a New World**

 _Across the highest mountains and through the endless seas_  
 _Our journey ever onwards fight until we all be free_  
 _Through the darkness shining the never ending light_  
 _On through the days of glory rise towards the fight_

 _And one day we will find a way toward this distant golden age  
The cries of war will sound the day  
We stand before the dawn of a new world_

 _\- Dragonforce: Dawn Over a New World_

 _..._

 _Six Months Later_

Ian couldn't believe they were back at the Hades Club. There was a good atmosphere that night and it was quite crowded. But besides being excited there was also feeling of sadness when he thought of René and Lucas. But then he remembered something Jo had said to him. He couldn't quite remember when she had said it though. About this being a war he had not chosen - that he had only chosen not to run away from it. It felt so true.

It had been a war. And it was now over.

Finally they got on stage. Blowfish looked fierce as she walked behind the microphone. She was wearing black leather and a top that had shredded sleeves, a black glove and a leather wrist band. Her hair had already grown and she had dyed it to her signature red. Mitsuko took her place with the bass.

Jo looked at Ian for a second. He had the shiny black new BC Rich Warlock he had bought not long ago. Jo couldn't help thinking how good he looked with it. She herself was very satisfied with her red ESP now. She had done some soldering the previous week and the mics were now perfect. The sound wasn't muddy nor too bright, but just right.

Ian glanced at Jo who was looking at him. From now she would be his partner in battles fought with guitars. He had gladly given up the bass to Mitsuko. Actually, they had had no idea she was so good playing it. Ian could see Jo smiled briefly and her smile made him feel he was in desperate need of dissociation - but he had decided he wouldn't do it anymore. Instead, he decided he would take the raw emotion and channel it into his playing.

"We are...the Agents of Metal."

Erik counted the song in.

...

It had gone better then well and the crowd had been extremely receptive. It was time for the last song of their set. Blowfish looked at her bandmates - Ian, Jo, Erik and Mitsuko. Then she looked at the crowd.

"I dedicate our last song to our fallen comrades," she said with an extremely low voice.

The song was called "The Pyre".

And it was the first one Ian and Jo had written together, one evening in Kyoto.

...

After the gig they all sat down to watch the following act still enjoying the adrenaline rush.  
"Get ready...for an anaphylactic shock!" the singer screamed.  
Truly, they were actually followed by the thrash band 'Shark attack'. Ian thought he always seemed to run into that band wherever he went.  
He settled for one beer but soon the others were enjoying the well deserved second round.  
"Are you sure you don't want to stay? We could go to a hotel," Jo asked.  
"I can drive. It's okay...You know I kind of wanted to go home," he said.

Mitsuko suddenly came to them through the crowd looking quite ecstatic.  
"Hey! You'll never guess whom I found!"  
The one standing behind her was definitely Agent Adler but it took a moment for the others to recognize him. He looked so different in his worn Iron Maiden shirt and jeans. They all greeted him most warmly.  
"I came straight from the airport, just in time," he smiled.

...

Ian and Jo were now driving back. Erik and Gwen had decided to stay in the city for a few days and had asked them to stay too but Ian had insisted he wanted to return to Rock Falls. Mitsuko on the other hand had promised to show Agent Adler the local sights the following day so she wasn't returning home either.

Ian was driving and it was around 2 AM. The landscape was dark, it was almost a full moon. He had actually made compilation CD for their drive back home. The Ford Fiesta's AUX system wasn't much but it still had a CD player. The last song was playing now. It was Nargaroth's "Spectral Visions of Mental Warfare". Ian thought it wasn't as true as their earlier material but the song had become important to him. Somehow it sounded like emerging from a dark tunnel into light. He didn't even mind that the name and lyrics mentioned things like mental warfare, chaos and serpents and cosmic cores. He thought this had to be a good sign - he was recovering.

They listened in silence. The song reached the halfway point where the kick drum had a throbbing mid-tempo beat. Ian felt it very much matched what his heartbeat felt that moment. He pulled the car to the side of the quiet road.  
"What is it? Are you okay?" Jo asked worried.  
Ian looked at her. She still looked slightly flushed. He had a flashback of that journey in the van after their first gig together when he had hugged her.  
"There is something I wanted to give you."  
"What is it?"  
He dug his jeans pocket and placed the object in Jo's hand. There was a moment of silence as she took in what it was.  
"Too much?" Ian's voice was slightly strained because he now noticed Jo looked confused. Clearly moved but confused.  
"I didn't know things like this meant something to you."  
"It didn't. You're the exception."  
Jo was looking at the object thoughtfully. To his relief Ian noticed there was a smile forming on her lips.  
She finally looked at him and the look in her eyes conveyed much more than any words ever could have. Ian allowed his eyes to become teary. Jo looked at him for a long time, and then put her arms around him, holding him tight.  
"I love you, Ian Smith, and I don't say that often enough."

The ring had angel wings embedded in it.

...

They were all now standing outside the courthouse. Jo was wearing a denim vest and jeans, Ian black jeans and a t-shirt. Erik and Gwen had also been there.  
"So what are you planning to do now?" Erik asked.  
Both Jo and Ian grinned.  
"We're flying to Finland and renting a Ka," Jo said smiling.  
"And we'll drive to the Arctic Ocean."  
Erik shook his head and chuckled.  
"I should have known. That car...It's disgusting."  
Blowfish chuckled.  
"Enjoy," she said.  
"But first, we're gonna stop at San Francisco. Stanford, actually," Jo said.  
They all knew it was about Ian meeting his mother. She had replied to his message.  
"Good luck," Blowfish said.  
"We should get going now," Ian said taking hold of Jo's hand.

Suddenly, Ian could hear Erik's voice from the distance.  
"Remember, when you get back we'll build that cabin! With our bare hands!"

Somehow he anticipated they had an interesting autumn ahead of them.

...

Ian couldn't help thinking the trip was so different than their first Ka trip had been. Jo didn't have to recollect her memory and there were simply no doubts, no uncertainty.

They were lying on the grass by a river. It was warm and the air was so fresh. It was night time but the nights up in the north were like beautiful everlasting sunsets. The black Ka was parked close to them.  
Jo opened her eyes and looked at the mountains in the distance. She looked dreamy.  
"Ian...Do you think that when all this is over we'll go somewhere...To some strange lands?"  
Ian turned to look at her.  
"I have a feeling we will," he answered.  
Jo looked at him, now smiling, and leaned to give him a kiss.

It was the best possible ending.


	26. Epilogue

_Background music suggestion: Hammerfall: Dreams Come True_

* * *

 **Epilogue**

...

" _Cosmo_."

It was Helena's voice. Cosmo felt disoriented, like coming out of a haze. His eyes were still closed but he could sense he was no longer under fluorescent lights, nor on a floor. Instead, he sensed it was dark, and he was definitely outdoors, on the ground. With some difficulty he opened his eyes, first squinting, but as his eyesight focused he saw Helena's face extremely close.

"Cosmo."

He felt like laughing, feeling so happy seeing her. And he had never seen her this happy.

Then he remembered. They had died, in each other's arms, but...

 _It was not over.  
_

In a second their lips met in a kiss. _  
_

When they finally needed to catch their breath, Cosmo took in his surroundings...They were definitely lying on the ground, and it was night time. Also, there was music - live music. He looked towards the direction where it was coming from. Something was happening some hundred meters away; there was a large crowd in front of a stage. It would seem they were at a festival, and by the sound of it, it was a metal festival. Cosmo pieced the scene together...He had not believed it would be like this. But then again, why wouldn't it be.

Helena looked at him, smiling, with a questioning look on her face. They'd go check it out. Slowly they stood up and began walking towards the crowd, hand in hand. As they approached it, the song was now changing, and as the first chords of the next song began, the crowd was taking their lighters out.

"This is for some guys who just arrived here...You know who you are," the vocalist said.

"Dreams Come True."

...


End file.
